Saints look to finish season strong against Barons
Arroyo Seco would end the season at a .500 record with a win.
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PASADENA, CA — Despite an incredible turnaround in the second half, the Arroyo Seco Saints (17-18) will not be among the six teams vying for the CCL championship. When the Academy Barons (18-15) won Saturday night, they clinched the final wild card spot in the CCL South, eliminating Arroyo Seco from playoff contention in the process.
However, the Saints still have plenty to play for in Sunday afternoon's season finale against those very same Barons. With a win, Arroyo Seco would finish with a .500 record on the season — a feat that seemed all but impossible after a 7-15 start.
The Saints can also get some revenge on the Academy squad that denied them a postseason bid, as a win Sunday would give them a 4-2 advantage in the overall season series. Arroyo Seco won their most recent matchup July 14, earning a 9-8 walk-off victory in extra innings.
Both teams enter Sunday with momentum after winning their respective games Saturday, albeit in very different ways. The Saints scored three runs in the ninth to escape with a 7-6 victory over the Orange County Riptide (26-16), while the Barons crushed the San Luis Obispo Blues (31-14) in a 15-0 blowout.
Arroyo Seco will turn to Christian Martinez (Stony Brook University) for his first start of the summer. He has been stellar so far across two relief appearances, tossing three scoreless innings with five strikeouts.
As the season winds to a close, several Saints have solidified their spots atop the leaderboards. Canon King (UC San Diego) leads the roster with a .475 OBP and .602 SLG, thanks in part to his league-high six home runs, while Evan Reiter (Santa Ana College) has the highest batting average at .342. Brayden Flores (Loyola Marymount University) leads in most counting stats, including his 29 RBIs, which rank fourth in the CCL.
On the pitching end, Joe O'Regan (University of Nevada - Reno) paces the starting rotation with a 3.12 ERA, along with a team-high 40 1/3 innings pitched and 36 strikeouts. Daniel Vergara (Undecided) has a 1.32 ERA and 0.95 WHIP, both of which rank first among consistent relievers.
While the playoffs may be out of reach, getting one last win — and ending on a four-game win streak — would be the cherry on top for the Saints' unbelievable second-half surge.
First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 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)