July 1, 2018 La Mirada, CA Ryan Smoot (VMI) drove in four two-out runs with a two-run single and a two-run double in consecutive at bats to lead the Southern California Catch to a 10-9 win over the Arroyo Seco Saints today at Biola University. With the Catch trialing 6-1 heading into the bottom of the fourth inning, Smoot came to bat with runners on second and third and two outs, hit his two-run single and then scored when Grant Robbins (UNLV) hit an RBI-double to make the score 6-4. Then, in the fifth inning, after Omar Ortiz (Cochise College) singled to lead off the inning and eventually scored on a passed ball and the Catch plated another on a run-scoring error to tie the score, Smoot came to bat with two runners again in scoring position and two outs, this time driving in both with his double to put the Catch up 8-6. The Saints got within one in the top of the seventh inning when John Thomas (USC) reach on an error, advanced to third on a Mitch Kerner single and scored on a balk, but the Catch answered with a pair of runs in their half of the inning via a reached-by-error, two hit batsmen and a pair of fielder's choices to take the lead for good. Arroyo Seco added a single run in the eighth on a Christian Moya (USC) RBI-single, and one in the ninth on a Nic Lacayo (Michigan St) solo home run to come up one short. The Saints scored first in the game when Gabe Chavez (San Bernardino) led the game off with a single, stole second and scored on a two-out RBI-single by Cooper Williams (New Mexico St), added three runs in the second inning when the first three batters reached on a hit batsman and two bunt singles, all of whom scored, and added a pair of runs in the fourth on RBI-singles by Tristan Peterson and Kerner. The Catch first scored in the third inning when Ortiz hit a two-out RBI-single. Both teams utilized six pitchers in the game. Connor Mushinski (Weatherford) who pitched an inning and a third hitless was credited with the win while Luke LaFlam (Arizona St), who was on the mound when the Catch first took the lead, was saddled with the loss. Click here for recaps of this game Elsewhere in the CCL today: Santa Barbara, CA Utah Jones (North Greenville) and Luke Ritter (Wichita St) each hit two-run home runs, and Conor Davis (Auburn) and Logan Allen (Arkansas-Ft. Smith) each added two-run singles to lead the Santa Barbara Foresters to a 12-6 victory over the Academy Barons today at Pershing Park. Davis' two-run single in the fourth inning, which opened the scoring in the game, immediately preceded Jones' home run to give Santa Barbara an early 4-0 lead. The Barons answered in their next at bat with three runs of their own, two scoring on a Trent Anderson (CSU Bakersfield) bases-loaded single and a third scoring on a balk. Ritters' home run in the fifth inning then put the Foresters back on top by three, and, after both teams squandered prime scoring opportunities in the sixth, the Barons again got to within one when Anderson, who had tripled in the first inning as part of a three-hit game, hit a ground rule double to put runners on second and third with no outs, both of whom would score on a infield groundout and a wild pitch. Santa Barbara took the lead for good in their half of the seventh inning, getting three consecutive RBI-singles by Jones, Michael Neustifter (Oklahoma State) and Turner Gauntt (Texas), and a sacrifice fly. Desmond Gates (West LA JC) hit an RBI-single for the Barons in the top of the eighth inning, and Allen hit his two-run single in the bottom half for the Foresters to post the final 12-6 score. Davis, Jones and Anderson each finished with a game-high three hits, while Allen and Jones led all run producers with three RBI each. Erik Gutierrez (Lipscomb), the league-leader in strikeouts recorded so far this season, started on the mound for the Academy, struck out only one batter in four-plus innings and was saddled with the loss. Brett Standlee (Oklahoma State) started for Santa Barbara, struck out four in four-plus innings of work and was credited with the win. Click here for recaps of this game