Saints keep marching with win over Oaks

PASADENA, CA — The game wasn't always pretty. The Saints had the lead because of an Oaks throwing error that led to three runs, and they nearly lost it in the ninth after allowing the tying run to reach base. Nevertheless, the final result was all that mattered: yet another win for the Arroyo Seco Saints.

On Sunday afternoon, the Saints (14-17) edged out the Conejo Oaks (18-12) for a 5-3 win at home, marking the latest entry in a second-half surge that has seen Arroyo Seco completely flip the script from a disappointing month of June. After starting the season 7-15, the Saints have now won seven of their last nine games, outscoring their opponents 58-40 over that span.

Much of that success has been thanks to the starting rotation, which has combined for a mere 2.74 ERA over the last nine games. Thomas Peck (University of Nevada, Reno) kept that trend alive Sunday, allowing just two runs in six innings while punching out five batters.

"We've all come together. We've been producing," Peck said in a postgame interview. "We've just been on it."

Peck was nearly unhittable outside of a fifth-inning home run, letting just five Oaks reach base across six frames of work. He received some help from his defense as well, with Carson Panarisi (Cal State Los Angeles) making several impressive grabs in left field to rob Conejo of potential hits.

"Outfield defense was spectacular. They had to fight the sun all day, especially with those long, high fly balls that keep on getting hit up," Peck said. "They've done a really great job with catching and just covering the outfield."

On the offensive end, Arroyo Seco was held relatively quiet for much of the night; fortunately, it wouldn't take much to back up Peck's strong start. Canon King (UC San Diego) mashed his league-leading sixth home run of the season in the second inning, and Evan Reiter (Santa Ana College) hit one in the fourth to extend his eye-popping hitting streak to 23 games.

The Saints ran into some good luck in the seventh when the Oaks' shortstop botched a potential inning-ending double play, paving the way for Dylan Immel (Undecided) to give his team the lead with an RBI single. Brody Chyr (University of Nebraska) followed with a two-run triple that put Arroyo Seco up 5-2.

After Samuel Rickman (Trinity University) handled the Conejo offense with two scoreless frames in relief, the Oaks made things interesting in the ninth, scoring a run on a sacrifice fly and eventually putting the go-ahead run at the plate. However, Dylan Hoang (Villanova University) forced a game-ending groundout to get out of the jam, earning the save and securing the 5-3 win for the Saints.

Following Sunday's affair, Arroyo Seco sits three games behind the Academy Barons (16-13) for the final wild card spot in the CCL South. With just five matchups left on the schedule, a playoff bid won't be easy to come by, but the Saints are far from out of the picture.

"End goal is to sneak in the playoffs," Peck said. "We're on a run right now, so if we keep doing what we're doing, winning these games that we need to win, I think we have a good chance."

Arroyo Seco will kick off the final week of the season Tuesday, traveling to Great Park in Irvine to face the Orange County Riptide (23-14). First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m.

Contributors:

• Saints reporter: Bennett Christofferson (USC)
• Saints photographer: Aaliyah Alamillo (University of La Verne)