BOX SCORE
By Jim Buckley (Photo by Kylie Koeper)
In a slugfest that included a pair of three-run homers by players chasing one another for the team lead, you might think that they were the big story of the Foresters’ 13-2 win over the Santa Paula Halos Tuesday night. You’d be wrong.
Starting pitcher Bryce Warrecker (pictured) retired the first 13 batters he faced and allowed only a walk in his five innings of stellar no-hit work. The former SB High star earned his third win of the summer and added six to his team-leading strikeout total, while leading the staff to a two-hit night.
“That walk, that’s why we had to yank him,” joked manager Bill Pintard. “No, it was great to see him come through again. I’ve said it before, he’s growing up right in front of our eyes. He’s a strike-thrower and our guys love playing behind him.”
Now, as for that offense—it was impressive as well. The Foresters were comfortably up 7-2 in the seventh when 2B Jace Jung tied for the team lead with his seventh homer. In the eighth, Jung then watched the tie breaker, as 1B Christian Encarnacion massacred a ball deep over the left-centerfield fence for homer No. 8 and three more RBI, part of his team-high 34 on the season.
Before the late-inning fireworks, the Foresters had put together one of their typical relentless attacks. C Noah Cardenas, who had four hits on the night, smacked yet another two-out RBI in the first. In the fourth, CF Casey Dykstra, SS Matthew McLain (who is hitting a startling .519 so far), and 3B Peyton Graham each had RBI singles with two out in the inning to run the score to 5-0.
“I do want to highlight a guy tonight, that’s Noah Cardenas,” said Pintard. “He’s the face of our defense, and he’s tremendous back there behind the plate. Then tonight, he has a great four-hit game. He even had a pair of stolen bases, as a catcher!”
Jung’s bat earned those three in the seventh, but his feet got one in the sixth. He walked to lead off the inning. When he stole second, the throw sailed into center and he motored to third. When the ball slightly eluded the centerfielder, Jung punched it around third and slid home with a hustle run.
With offense and baserunning covered, Jung completed the baseball trifecta with two great defensive plays. In the fifth, he leaped over a sliding runner to complete an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play. In the seventh, he looked like an octopus stretching back over his head for a twisting pop fly in short right.
“As big of a swing as Jace has, he has that big of a personality, too,” said Pintard. “His attitude is off the charts, he really has fun playing baseball.”
Warrecker’s mound mates mowed down the Halos, too, allowing only two hits and two walks in four innings of relief.
“I thought Titus Groeneweg showed improvement over what we had seen before and Nick Proctor showed really good form tonight,” added Pintard, always ready to highlight his pitchers.
The Foresters welcome back the season rival Santa Maria Pea Soup for two games, Wednesday and Thursday, before wrapping up the short Pershing Park 2020 season with the Hugs for Cubs Game on Friday against the SoCal Giants. Make sure and listen to all the games on KCSB.org/sports or watch on the Livestream.
