PASADENA, CA — The Arroyo Seco Saints (3-1) topped the visiting San Diego Bombers (3-8-1) 7-4 at Jackie Robinson Field thanks to a masterful eight-pitcher demonstration and their ever-dangerous offense.

Saints pitching coach Aaron Treloar explained the reasoning behind using so many pitchers and was complimentary of their performance postgame.

“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but the goal was to get everyone in tonight; [it was] kind of a bullpen game,” Treloar shared. “[We wanted to] get these guys confident in themselves and get them rolling into a routine as we move forward into the season.”

Cade Shumard (New Mexico State) made his second start of the year for the Saints Wednesday night and did not look particularly sharp. Like most of his fellow pitchers, he lasted one inning, allowing three runs to begin the game.

Luckily, Shumard struck out the final two hitters of the first inning, limiting the damage to only three runs in the opening frame.

The Saints’ offense continued to roll Wednesday night and backed up a shaky start from their pitching staff. Jacob Freer’s (Azusa Pacific) two-out, two-RBI triple turned into a Little League home run on an errant throw from the Bombers’ catcher, tying the game at 3-3 as an eventful first inning concluded.

Offensively, the Saints potency continued into the second inning as Matthew Mainord (Oral Roberts) opened the frame with a double. He would later score on Noah Williams’ (Colorado State University Pueblo) RBI single.

Williams stole second and third base after his single but pulled up lame after swiping third. He was subbed out after the second inning finished due to a leg injury.

Coach Treloar commented on his team’s offensive consistency and how much of a luxury it is to have a cushion for his pitchers.

“If we can keep applying pressure, working walks, not trying to do everything with our bats but with our eyes, too,” said Treloar. “I think the pitching and this offense will complement each other well.”

After a rocky opening frame, the Saints’ pitching staff settled in and tossed three innings of shutout baseball. Maximo Newhart (Transfer Portal), Braylen Dritz (Abilene Christian) and Christian Robb (Transfer Portal) only allowed three Bombers to reach base during that span.

As the fifth inning rolled around, the Bombers decided they were done being silenced by the Saints pitchers. Kyle Becker (Transfer Portal) drove in Jeremy Jones (Pierce College) to knot the contest up at four runs per side.

The scoreboard did not change in the sixth, but the seventh inning was a different story. Trotter Enright (Long Beach State) drove in Mainord on an RBI single, and Joey Milto (Transfer Portal) drove in both Enright and Eli Lopez (Cal State Fullerton) on a two-RBI single, propelling the Saints to a 7-4 lead after the seventh.

Milto has been the driving force for the Saints offense so far in 2025. He leads his team in RBIs and has been dialed in at the plate to begin the summer. Milto commented on the mindset that enabled him to come through for his team Wednesday night.

“[My] teammates did a good job getting on base and getting in scoring position,” Milto stated. “I was just trying to put the ball in play. [I was] trying to do anything to push those runs across and get us a comfortable lead.”

After the first four games of the Saints’ season, the top of their lineup has been unstoppable. Coach Treloar gave his best guess as to why after the win.

“I think they go out and get it,” mentioned Treloar. “They prepare really well; they do their jobs. They get here early and they take swings; I think you see the result of that in the game.”

On the mound, Masen McDonnell (Transfer Portal) shut down both the seventh and eighth innings on the way to his first win of the summer. Nolan McCracken (Arizona State) closed out the ninth inning in 1-2-3 fashion, earning his first save of the summer.

The Saints continued to keep the basepaths active, stealing six bags Wednesday night, bringing their season total up to 19 on the young season.

While the Saints’ offense did not threaten double-digit runs against the Bombers, their pitching staff settled in as the game progressed and provided many opportunities for the offense to flourish.

The Saints hope to extend their win streak to four games as they host the Orange County Riptide at Jackie Robinson Field on Friday at 6:05 p.m.

Contributors

• Saints reporter Tyler Bowne (San Diego State)
• Saints photographer Carina Sanchez (California State University Los Angeles)