Saints baseball team ends losing streak with walk-off

The Santa Ana Saints took a walk-off victory, 7-6, Tuesday (March 28) afternoon against Calvary Chapel, breaking a three-game losing streak in the process. 

Junior 1st baseman/pitcher/catcher Miguel “Bubbles” Torres was at bat. The count was 1-2 and the score was 6-6. He knocked a hit to left field, bringing home the winning run for the Saints (4-13, 2-6 Orange Coast League).  

Earlier in the game, junior infielder Christian Nieto got a hit to right which drove in two runs, making the score 2-1 in the 2nd inning.

Senior pitcher and shortstop Emiliano “E” Valadez later grounded out to 1st, but tied up the game at 6 as Peter Quinonez came across to score. 

“I went up to the plate confident that I would hit but then I got two strikes on me but stayed focused then took the hit and it was amazing,” Torres said of the walk-off. 

Before that, last Friday (March 24), the Saints lost twice against Estancia by scores of 6-5 and 4-0 in a doubleheader. 

Santa Ana went on to lose a road contest, 11-3, against the Eagles (9-9, 4-2), and then three consecutive tournament games against Cathedral (5-8), West Covina (13-3), and Covina (9-5) by scores of 5-3, 5-2, and 19-7, respectively, during the spring break recess.

The Saints return to the field Tuesday for a road contest at Saddleback (2-12, 0-6) on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. and will face the Roadrunners again Friday at home.