By Ryan Greenberg
The Santa Barbara Foresters, one night after needing extra innings to win, re-exerted their dominance over the MLB Academy Barons with a thorough 10-0 victory on the road in Compton. The Foresters found a way to get runs across the plate in bunches despite not racking up hits. The Foresters only recorded seven hits but found a way to score ten runs thanks to patience at the plate and earning walks as well as aggressive baserunning.
The Foresters opened the scoring in the top of the second inning, thanks to aggressive and timely base running. John Newman Jr., after reaching first base safely on a base hit single, stole second and third base. He then crossed home plate safely after tagging up on Jake Kendro’s sacrifice fly.
The Foresters added two more runs in the top of the fifth inning. After Kendro reached on a walk and Rocco Garza-Gongora singled, Greg Pace drew a walk to load the bases. Jaline Flores then singled to drive in Kendro and Garza-Gongora to expand the Foresters’ lead to 3-0.
Flores once again picked up two RBIs on a single, this time in the top of the seventh inning. With Pace on third and Gianni Horvat on second, both reach base on walks, Flores roped a line drive over third base to drive in both Pace and Horvat. The Foresters then loaded the bases, with Flores on third, Eamonn Lance on second, and Newman Jr. on first after a walk and hit-by-pitch. Dominic Hellman then drew a walk to push Flores across the plate for a score of 6-0. Kendro then walked to push Lance across the plate for the Foresters’ seventh run of the game. Garza Gongora then grounded into a potential double play, but out-hustled the throw to first as Newman Jr. crossed the plate for the fifth run of the inning. Hellman then scored the sixth and final run of the inning on a wild pitch to run the score to 9-0.
The Foresters continued their downpour of offense in the eighth inning, adding one more on just for good measure as Hellman drove in Lance on a sacrifice fly for a score of 10-0.
Ben Bybee started the game on the mound for the Foresters, throwing six scoreless innings and earning the win. Jacob Hughes was called upon to begin the seventh inning, and finished his outing throwing two scoreless innings. Daniel Patterson, starting third basemen, got called to the mound to throw the ninth inning, and went one scoreless inning in his Foresters debut.
Julian Berinti started the game on the bump for the Barons, going 4 ⅔ innings and yielding three runs, all earned, and was charged with Friday night’s loss. Garrett Thomas Mnich pitched 1 ⅓ innings in relief, surrendering two runs. Mnich was followed by Antonio Estrella, who pitched just ⅓ innings and gave up four earned runs. Matthew Hallmann was called upon to relieve Estrella. Hallmann got the final two outs of Estrella’s seventh inning without being charged any runs to his name. Jimi Welsher began the eighth inning for the Barons and finished the game, going two scoreless innings.
The Foresters return home Saturday to Pershing Park at 6 p.m. for the first game of a two-game series against the Orange County Riptide. All Foresters games can be heard live on 1290 AM radio; listen online or stream live via the Foresters’ website, www.sbforesters.org.
