By Emma del Sol
Starting pitcher Jon Duplantier was in control today against arch rival San Luis Obispo Blues striking out ten, giving up two hits and one run in six innings of work as the ‘Sters win 10-1. Duplantier was backed by phenomenal hitting from Dillon Dobson who had a homerun in the bottom of the first and had a two run double in the seventh.
Duplantier struck out the side in the first inning; those three strikeouts were part of his ten-strike out performance. On a 3-2 count Dobson smoked a home run to left field over the fence in the bottom of the inning, getting the ‘Sters on the board.
It was a battle of the pitchers until the fourth inning when Granger Studdard hit a double bringing home Jeremy Montalbano who reached on a fielders choice.
Duplantier was pitching a no hitter until the fifth inning and had recorded eight strikeouts at that time as well.
With two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning Ford Stainback hit a two run single up the middle. Cody Walker and Jake Vickerson, who had singled to short and walked respectively, scored and Colt Atwood, who reached on a walk, advanced to third on the play. Dobson drove in his second and third RBI of the game on a double to center. The next batter, Montalbano, singled to center and Studdard brought home Dobson on a first pitch single. All five runs were scored with two outs.
The ‘Sters bats were on fire again in the eighth inning as they scored three more runs. Atwood had a bases loaded single with one out bringing home one run. Stainback was clutch again this time with another single, driving in one more run and blowing the ‘Sters lead wide open. Atwood then came home on a wild pitch by relief pitcher Dominic Taccolini, scoring the third run of the inning for the Foresters.
Dalton Brown, Troy Cruz, and Brock Larson all pitched three innings of scoreless baseball and added on three more strikeouts for the ‘Sters bringing them to thirteen strikeouts on the day.
This was the ‘Sters eighth consecutive win, moving them to be four games ahead of the Blues in their division.
Today’s EP Beverage Player of the Game goes to Jon Duplantier for his dominant performance on the mound. Duplantier won his second game of the season in his first start at home.
