The Foresters mantra Tuesday night was better late than never. Coming off a weekend in which they won the Rawlings California Cup, they were scheduled for a 5 PM start with the Pacific Union Capitalists. One problem, they were missing an umpire. A scheduling mix-up left both teams with no one to officiate. The game finally got underway after a delay of over an hour.
The Capitalists, tired of waiting, jumped out to an early lead against Foresters starter Garett King. First baseman Dillon Paulson ripped a double with two on and gave the Caps the 2-0 lead.
The Forester bats stayed mostly quiet early on before erupting for 5 runs in the fourth. Granger Studdard walked to begin the inning. Jeremy Montalbano, co-MVP of the Rawlings Cup with Studdard, continued his hot hitting by launching a tying 2-run homer.
The Foresters continued to apply the pressure as the Capitalist struggled to throw strikes. Foresters’ batters drew seven walks in the game. The big blow, however, was John Brontsema’s 2-RBI single that made it 4-2. The Foresters would add another run on an RBI groundout by David Greer to cap the scoring, 5-2.
Starter Garett King was able to shake off his rough start, striking out 9 batters over five innings, picking up the win. Cal Becker came in to pitch a scoreless top of the sixth and picked up the save after the game was called due to darkness.
The Foresters will be back in action against the Capitalists tomorrow at 5 PM at UCSB. – Ryan Riffenburgh
