Saints Drop First Game of Road Trip

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA - The Arroyo Seco Saints (5-11) dropped the opener of their three game series against the San Luis Obispo Blues (18-4). After a last minute effort, the Saints were able to get on the board and avoid the shutout, but ultimately fell 5-2. 

RHP Oscar Salazar (Undecided) started the game for the Saints opening with a quick 1-2-3 inning. The next two innings, the Blues were able to rack up five runs, stringing together hits, to pull ahead.

Salazar was lights out after those innings, shutting down the Blues for the rest of his outing.

"I just kind of had to reevaluate and just go out there and know that I had my defense behind me that was gonna make plays and just trusted them," Salazar said.

Zachary Bender (Loyola Marymount University) then came into the game as relief, holding the Blues to five.

For one Saint, this visit marked a return to familiar territory.

Camden Andrews (California Baptist University) returned to San Luis Obispo, where he played for the Blues last summer, before joining the Saints this season.

"It's always cool to play against people you played with," Andrews said. "We were pretty close so it was cool."

Behind the plate, Andrews stayed sharp, ending the eighth inning and throwing out Blues shortstop Diego Murillo to bring the Saints offense back on the field. 

In the ninth inning, the Saints were able to string along hits and score their two runs with the help of newcomer Brandon Nguyen (Undecided). After a slow start, Nguyen shared that it was Salazar and Bender who kept the Saints in the game.

"We couldn't get anything going, and then our pitching really brought us back into the game," Nguyen said. "I thought our arms were solid and they kept us really close every inning and played good defense for the most part."

The inning started with a single from Jacob Freer (Undecided), followed by Canon King (Undecided) reaching on a fielder's choice. Sean Asperger (Undecided) then moved King over with another single.

Nguyen then stepped up to the plate and delivered a double, scoring Asperger and King. This RBI hit generated even more energy into the end of the game. 

"We started seeing more pitches and got deeper in counts. I'm pretty happy about that," Nguyen said.

Andrews also shared how he views baseball as a whole, reflecting on the Saints' performance.

"Baseball is a game of ups and downs, you know. I mean, this team, we're pretty consistent with our energy," Andrews said. "We're just trying to get the next guy up, that's honestly what I was thinking when I came up."

The Saints will continue their series tomorrow at Sinsheimer Stadium with first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m. PDT.

Contributors:

•  Leila El Sabbagh (University of La Verne)

• Aaliyah Alamillo (University of La Verne)