Saints fall short against Foresters

PASADENA, CA — A late offensive surge wasn't enough to propel the Arroyo Seco Saints (4-7) to a win Friday night, as they fell 13-9 to the red-hot Santa Barbara Foresters (11-1).

The bats came alive early for Arroyo Seco, scoring four runs in the second inning to overcome a strong start by Santa Barbara. Zach Leite (Old Dominion) got the ball rolling with a double — his first hit as a Saint — and later scored on a single by Canon King (UC San Diego). 

Brayden Flores (Loyola Marymount) drove in the second run with a single, giving him 15 RBIs in 10 games played this summer — good for second among all CCL players. Flores credited his strong start to staying calm in high-pressure situations.

"[I'm] not panicking whenever the spot's hot," Flores said in a postgame interview. "Just taking a deep breath, trusting everything I've got and slowing the game down."

Two more runs scored on an error, giving Arroyo Seco a 4-3 lead at the end of the second. 

However, the Saints' offense went cold from there, recording just three hits across the next five innings. Meanwhile, Santa Barbara kept its foot on the gas, scoring eight unanswered runs to take an 11-4 lead by the end of the seventh inning.

Arroyo Seco got back into a rhythm in the eighth, with three of the first four batters reaching to load the bases for Bryce Robinette (Undecided). Robinette delivered in a big way, hitting a bases-clearing triple to cut the lead to 11-7.

Even after the Foresters tacked on two runs at the top of the ninth, the Saints continued fighting. Leite notched his first RBI of the summer with a single to drive in Flores, and Owen Mangini (Nevada, Reno) brought another run in with a sacrifice fly.

In the end, though, Arroyo Seco couldn't quite close the gap, taking a 13-9 loss that snapped its two-game winning streak.

The Saints won't need to wait long to get another shot at the Foresters, as the two squads are set for another matchup Saturday afternoon. To come out on top in the rematch, Flores said the team needs to stay hot on offense and allow fewer free passes.

"Pitchers did good these past couple of days," Flores said. "Just continue to do good and come out hot."

Arroyo Seco and Santa Barbara will face off at Santa Barbara High School. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

Contributors:

• Saints reporter: Bennett Christofferson (USC)

• Saints photographer: Dakota Gray