Saints crush Bombers with offensive explosion, dominant pitching

PASADENA, CA—If the Arroyo Seco Saints (13-17) wanted to stay in the playoff race, they needed a win immediately, and they responded with urgency after Friday night's loss with a dominant 14-0 win over the San Diego Bombers (5-14).

After a solid outing in his previous start, starting pitcher Hudson Carvalho leveled up in his outing against the Bombers, throwing five shutout innings with six strikeouts and no walks. After getting an early lead, Carvahlo gave the Bombers no chance, only allowing three baserunners and one hit through his five plus scoreless innings.

"I mean, trusting my defense behind me makes my job so much easier," Carvalho said. "Command the zone with my fastball and let my stuff play off of that."

After Carvalho exited in the sixth, reliever Zachary Bender (Loyola Marymount University) stranded the bases loaded to keep the Bombers scoreless. Following his first inning, Bender threw two more shutout innings, finishing his night with three scoreless innings and six strikeouts, his best appearance of the season. 

Joey Parrish (Undecided) also threw his best outing of the year, striking out the side in the ninth inning to complete the scoreless effort for the Saints. It was the pitching staff's second shutout in three games, keeping a pattern of solid pitching for the Saints over the previous two weeks. Their 15 strikeouts Saturday night were also the high for the Saints' pitching staff in a win all season.

The Saints offense also brought one of their best games of the season, with every batter in the lineup recording a hit and getting on base at least twice, finishing with fourteen runs, their second-highest run total of the season.

Third baseman Sean Asperger (Undecided) helped lead the Saints' offense in the win, with two hits, including a home run, a walk, and three runs batted in. Asperger has been on a hot streak since the All-Star break, raising his average to above .300 and leading the team with a .466 OBP.

"I just feel comfortable in the box; it feels nice," Asperger said. "I just feel like I've been swinging a bit better, getting in my legs more."

Asperger wasn't the only standout for the Saints offense. Owen Mangini (University of Nevada, Reno) and Dylan Immel (Undecided) both drove in three runs during the game. Evan Reiter (Santa Ana College) extended his team-leading hitting streak to 22 games, a streak that traces back to his first game of the season. 

The Saints' win against the Bombers was a complete team effort, with standout pitching and offense combining to deliver one of the season's best wins. 

Arroyo Seco is back in action Sunday afternoon at 4:05 PM PDT against the Conejo Oaks, looking to keep their momentum as the last week of regular-season baseball approaches.

Contributors:

• Saints Reporter: Joshua Krueger (Baylor University)
• Saints Photographer: Dakota Gray