Saints Fall Behind Early to the Waves

PASADENA- The Arroyo Seco Saints fell 12-6 to the San Diego Waves on Thursday night after San Diego got on the board in early innings. 

RHP Oscar Salazar (Undecided) took the mound for the first time as a starter at Jackie Robinson Field. The Saints also debuted their white Pasadena threads with the signature rose across the chest. 

The Waves put up five runs in the first and six in the third inning. Saints trailed behind those eleven runs until Canon King (UC San Diego) scored the Saints first run. 

The Saints scored four runs in the sixth inning, with newcomer Brandon Nguyen's (Undecided) three run home run and a Jacob Freer sacrifice fly. 

Nguyen drove in four RBIs for the Saints and has homered in consecutive games. 

He reflected on his approach to the plate, saying "it felt good, a little bit of a slow start for us as an offense…. I was able to keep the head out on one and happily enough [it] went out."

Angel Escobar (Mississippi Valley State), Andrew Miller (Azusa Pacific University) and Dylan Hoang (Villanova University), combined for scoreless relief, keeping the Waves at 11. 

Jackie Robinson Field served as Maranatha High School's home field, making Miller's debut a return to a familiar mound. 

Miller expressed how it felt to pitch for the first time this season, saying it "felt great, I've been preparing the first half of the summer to join the Saints and everything was working for me so it was a good start."

After the All Star break, Miller looks to move into a starting position, "as l get my pitch count up but for now I just want to keep working every day to get better." Miller said. 

Behind the plate, Nick Nashiwa (Golden West College) caught two runners attempting to steal second base, showcasing his continued strong defensive presence. 

In the ninth inning, Nguyen grounded out to drive in another run. 

This weekend four Saints head over to Reno, Nevada for the CCL All Star game. The Saints return home after the midseason break to face the San Diego Bombers on July 7th.

Contributors:

• Saints Reporter: Cynthia Fausto (University of California Irvine)

• Saints Photographer: Aaliyah Alamillo (University of La Verne)