PASADENA, CA- After getting outscored 21-4 over its last two games, the Arroyo Seco Saints needed a win to avoid suffering its first three-game losing streak of the summer. Following a 14-1 loss to the Orange County Riptide in Irvine, the Saints returned the favor with an 11-4 win back home in Pasadena and improved to 8-1 when scoring over six runs.

Catcher Alex Birge (UC Berkley) came into the game as one of the Saints most productive hitters but hadn’t hit a home run in the 14 games before tonight. That changed after a two-home run night.  With the two home runs Birge is now tied for the team lead with Jakob Schardt (Cal State Fullerton) and Josh Livingston (Wichita State).

Even though the offense put up 11 runs, Birge believes the pitchers deserve as much credit.

The first two pitchers of the night are the only two lefties on the pitching staff. Spencer Seid (UC San Diego) and Andrew Wright (Cal State Fullerton) combined for seven innings and allowed just one run. Seid went four innings and only gave up one run and Wright pitched three scoreless innings.

“It’s really why we won this game, regardless of the home runs and the performance with the bats,” Birge said. “It comes from the pitchers and they did a really good job.”

Saints manager Aaron Milam envisions Seim having a prominent role in the future.

“We’re excited to see what he’s got, he’s got more in the tank,” Milam said.

The Riptide scored their lone run against Seid in the first inning on a single from designated hitter Matt Spear (Michigan). That would be their last run until the ninth inning.

The Saints were kept off the board in the first by Riptide pitcher Andrew Parker (Cal State Northridge).

Arroyo Seco got to him in the second inning with back-to-back home runs by Birge and Livingston to put it ahead 2-1.

Birge and Livingston were teammates together during the 2024 season at Wichita State. This was the first time they homered in the same game, and it came back-to-back.

“That was super cool,” Birge said. “I’ll remember that forever.”

Livingston also homered in the previous game against the Riptide for the Saints’ lone run.

“It took him a little bit of time to get settled in,” Milam said about Livingston. “I think Josh will be great for us in July.”

Birge wasn’t done yet; with two men on and a run already across, he went deep for the second time in the game in the following inning to put the Saints up 6-1.

“Alex has a ton of pop because the swing speed and the exit velo is so high,” Milam said. “I like that everything he’s been working on is coming together.”

Schardt joined the home run parade as he hit his second homer of the season in the fourth inning with another three-run homer, extending the Saints lead to 9-1.

Schardt continued his blistering start to the summer with a 3-4 night, extending his hitting streak to six games.

Arroyo Seco would go on to win 11-4 and improve to 9-6 overall.

The Saints return home Sunday to take on the Ventura County Pirates.