By Jim Buckley (photo by Lexi Brintle)
A slicing two-run single from Easton Moomau (pictured) capped a “Sterring” Foresters comeback on Saturday night in San Luis, as Santa Barbara came back to beat the Blues 5-4 in 10 innings. Down 3-0, Santa Barbara rallied to tie the game, then won it in the tenth. With Caden Miller on as the “ghost” runner, Sawyer Farr walked. Then with two outs, lefty Moomau whacked a double down the left-field line that scored both runners.
With Santa Barbara up 5-3, Ethan O’Neal stayed in the game to close things out, but Santa Barbara helped make the ending a bit tenser than they might have wanted. In front of a Blues “ghost” of their own, O’Neil got the first two batters on strikeouts. A grounder to third, however, turned into an error to put runners at the corners. Then a mixup between 3B Moomau and shortstop Coleman Ryan on an infield chopper let a Blues run score. With two outs and the tying run on third, O’Neal induced a smash to third that Moomau knocked down enough to then tag the runner coming from second to end the game with SB up 5-4.
After A.J. Krodel (pictured) started and went five innings while striking out seven, Andrew Guardino was lights-out in keeping the Blues in check, throwing three scoreless innings and adding 4 Ks. In O’Neal’s two innings, he K’d three more, making it 14 on the game for the strikeout-happy Foresters pitching staff.
Earlier in the game, the Blues had gone ahead 3-0. Santa Barbara scored in the sixth on a Cole Chamberlain single. They tied the game in the eighth, thanks to an RBI groundout by Farr and a base hit by Ryan to drive in Terrence Kiel. That set up the excitement in the extra frame.
With the season series tied 2-2, the ’Sters return to Eddie Mathews Field to play the Blues once again on Sunday, starting at 2 pm. Let’s have a big crowd on hand to welcome the team and cheer them on!
