Saints head to Orange County for final road matchup

IRVINE, CA — As the regular season approaches its finish, the Arroyo Seco Saints (16-18) are still in the playoff chase with just two games left to play. On Saturday afternoon, they will look to keep their season alive when they face the Orange County Riptide (26-15) at Great Park in Irvine.

Arroyo Seco and Orange County have faced off five times this year — including two times this week already — with the Riptide holding a 3-2 advantage in the season series. In their most recent matchup Wednesday, the Saints pulled off a stunning comeback, scoring six runs in the eighth inning to steal a 6-4 victory.

Both teams enter Saturday's matchup fresh off wins on Friday; Arroyo Seco cruised to victory against the Santa Maria Indians (1-10), while Orange County took down the Academy Barons (17-15).

The Saints will turn to Hudson Carvalho (University of Oregon) on the mound to keep their win streak — and playoff hopes — afloat. Carvalho dominated the San Diego Bombers (5-15) in his last start a week ago, allowing just two baserunners in five scoreless innings.

To earn the final wild card spot in the CCL South, Arroyo Seco needs to win both of its remaining games — and the Barons, who sit two games ahead in the standings, need to lose both of theirs. The Saints and Barons will meet in Sunday's season finale for what could be a winner-take-all battle for the postseason.

Before then, however, Arroyo Seco still has to get through Orange County on Saturday.

First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. A live broadcast of the game will be available on the Saints' YouTube channel.

Contributors:

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