Timing, they say, is everything. The Foresters racked up 11 hits on Sunday, were given eight walks, saw the opponents commit three errors, and still managed to lose 7-6 to the OC Riptide. Why the issue with timing? The Foresters repeatedly—in seven different innings—stranded runners in scoring position, including thrice with the bases loaded. Santa Barbara (2-2) also made four errors of its own, two of which played a key part in the Riptide’s five-run fifth that dug a hole too deep to climb out of.
The Foresters even had a chance to tie the game in the ninth, but left a runner on third to close out the team’s second loss of the season. After a day off, the ’Sters return to the field Tuesday on the road against the Conejo Oaks.
Against the Riptide, the Foresters rode a solid start by David Shaw into the fifth. They were up 1-0 thanks to an error by the Riptide off the bat of Jack Holman. Nate Rombach, who had singled, came in to score.
In the fateful fifth, the Foresters committed two errors, including one by Shaw, who also walked three batters (one intentionally), and watched the Riptide get the clutch hits that would elude the ’Sters most of the night. A 1-0 Foresters lead turned into a 5-1 deficit. OC added single runs in the seventh and eighth to stay a step or two ahead of Santa Barbara.
The Foresters did chip away at that lead. A Holman sac fly in the seventh and another from Rylan Charles in the eighth pulled the ’Sters to within one. In both innings, though, they left runners on base. In the ninth, Charles cracked a run-scoring single, his third hit of the night, scoring Josh Stinson. But Charles could only watch as the inning and the game ended on a Will Pendergrass fly ball.
A two-game road trip leads into a three-game homestand starting June 17. Make your plans to be at Pershing Park to welcome back the Foresters. Tune in to all the action, home and away, on AM 1290 KZSB and KZSB FM 96.9, plus streaming at am1290kzsb.com.
