Saints keep playoff hopes alive with improbable comeback victory

PASADENA, CA — For most of Wednesday night, it appeared the Arroyo Seco Saints' miracle second-half playoff push was about to come to an end.

The offense struggled in high-pressure situations all night, failing to put a single run across in the first seven innings. Despite a quality start from ace pitcher Joe O'Regan (University of Nevada, Reno), the Saints trailed 4-0 going into the bottom of the eighth — just six outs away from being eliminated from postseason contention.

Then, the bats finally broke through.

Seven consecutive hitters reached base in a miraculous six-run inning that saw Arroyo Seco (15-18) catapult to the lead. With a sudden burst of momentum on their side, the Saints finished off the Orange County Riptide (24-15) in the ninth to secure a 6-4 victory, staying alive in the playoff race for another day.

"We're refusing to lose," Brayden Flores (Loyola Marymount University) said in a postgame interview. "Ever since July started, everyone's locked in. All the pitchers, all the hitters. We're playing as a team now."

The comeback featured seven singles and a walk, with nearly every member of the lineup getting on base; the lone outlier, Sean Asperger (Undecided), hit a sacrifice fly that gave Arroyo Seco the lead. Six different Saints drove in a run, including Flores, whose 28 RBIs on the season rank fourth in the CCL.

While the eighth inning was a dominant display of timely hitting, the story was the opposite for the previous seven frames, as the Saints hit just 1-for-14 with runners on base. That lack of scoring put O'Regan in a precarious position, where any run by the Riptide would put the game further out of reach.

The Arroyo Seco ace did his best to restrain Orange County's offense, allowing four runs — one unearned — in a season-high seven innings pitched. O'Regan deftly navigated traffic on the basepaths to limit the damage, opening the door for the Saints' eventual comeback.

"The offense showed up when it mattered most. Backs against the wall, and they prevailed," O'Regan said in a postgame interview. "Very proud of those guys."

After his final regular-season start, O'Regan sits at a 3.12 ERA with a team-high 40 1/3 innings pitched and 36 strikeouts. O'Regan credited much of his success to catcher Nik Nashiwa (Golden West College), who caught each of O'Regan's last five starts and drove in the Saints' first run Wednesday.

"He's my MVP, at least. If I walk out with some sort of pitching award, I mean, I owe it to him," O'Regan said of Nashiwa. "He's been my 'rock' the entire year, so it's very nice to have a catcher like that."

O'Regan wasn't the only pitcher to shine on the mound, though: Zachary Bender (Loyola Marymount University) dominated in relief for the game's final two innings, racking up three strikeouts and allowing just one baserunner to earn his first win of the season.

Wednesday's victory helped Arroyo Seco stay in contention for a playoff berth, but the margin of error remains razor-thin. With three games left to play, the Saints are three games behind the Academy Barons (17-14) for the final wild card spot, meaning they must win all of their remaining matchups — and the Barons must lose all of theirs — to make the postseason.

Arroyo Seco will look to keep that hope alive Friday, when it hosts the Santa Maria Indians (1-9) at Jackie Robinson Memorial Field to kick off the final weekend of the season. First pitch is scheduled for 5:35 p.m.

Contributors:

• Saints reporter: Bennett Christofferson (USC)
• Saints photographer: Aaliyah Alamillo (University of La Verne)