By Kian Karamdashti
An early first inning onslaught kept the Foresters at bay against the Orange County Riptide as they cruised to a 9-4 win on Sunday afternoon. Big nights from Quentin Selma and Zach Presno aided the ’Sters with three RBI’s and two RBI’s respectively, while a solid start from Brooks Fuller ensured the win.
The Foresters came out firing early in the first inning. A leadoff single by Eric Kennedy was rewarded with a Selma double to the wall immediately after. RBI’s from Zach Presno and Jacob Katzvey continued the onslaught as the Foresters jumped out to an early 4-0 lead by the end of the first inning. Selma, who had a rough start to the summer, would go on to have a substantial three for five night, bringing two runners in.
“I came in to the summer too jumpy at the plate,” said Selma. “I was trying to do too much. I think I’ve been working well with the whole coaching staff trying to shrink my zone and hit better pitches.”
Manager Bill Pintard seemed to agree.
“His bat’s really important to us and he’s been in a little funk for a while,” said Pintard. “He was struggling and he was beating himself up, which happens to everybody. Now, I think he’s pretty locked in.”
The ’Sters starter was Auburn sophomore Brooks Fuller, who excelled through five innings of work with five strikeouts and one walk. Fuller was lights out in his first three innings; however, the fourth and fifth presented some difficulties. The fourth inning featured an RBI single followed by a balk bringing in the second Riptide run. The following fifth inning featured a throwing error by Fuller, a wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly, bringing the score to 5-4 after the top half of the fifth.
“Overall, the pitching was pretty good,” said Pintatrd. “We had the balk and the throwing error in there which makes only really count two of the four runs as earned. Our relievers were great, Beeter, Demco, and Breault all gave us good innings. It was a great day.
With the Riptide applying pressure, a ’Sters bat was needed to separate the sides, and Presno was up to the task. With runners on second and third in the bottom of the fifth inning, Presno came in clutch, ripping an offspeed pitch into center for a two RBI single. With his second and third RBI’s of the day, Presno extended the Sters’ lead to 7-4, continuing his productive summer.
After the ’Sters extended the lead in the following frames, any chance of a Riptide comeback was snuffed out in the final two frames as reliever Hunter Breault delievered with a quick glove and high velocity fastball.
The Foresters will look to extend their winning streak Tuesday against the MLB Academy Barons in Compton. First pitch is scheduled for 5 pm on AM 1290.
