Foresters score early and often in lopsided victory
Mike Klan
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Santa Barbara Foresters continued their dominant summer play with a 10-3 win over the Philippines Baseball Group, improving their record to 21-10 in a game fueled by stellar pitching, aggressive base running, and timely offense. The matchup, sponsored by the Santa Barbara Independent, brought out high energy from both the team and fans at Eddie Mathews Field.Starting pitcher Noah Waldeck was sharp from the first pitch, striking out seven and allowing no runs through four innings of work. He kept hitters off balance with a mix of fastballs and off-speed pitches, retiring the side in order in the first and working around traffic in the second.
The Foresters broke the game open in the second inning. After Brenton Clark walked and stole second, Mic Paul delivered an RBI single to bring him home. Paul then stole both second and third before scoring on a sac fly from Zane Becker. Makani Nabarro added an RBI single to give Santa Barbara a 3-0 lead.
The third inning saw the Foresters erupt for five more runs. Sawyer Farr knocked in Easton Moomau with a single, followed by a 2-RBI double from Caden Miller, who would later score on another Becker sac fly. By the end of the frame, Santa Barbara had built a commanding 8-1 lead.
Bryce Navarre took over in the fifth and battled through a tough inning, surrendering three runs on a pair of hits and a walk. The Foresters responded immediately, and reliever Josh Hyneman shut things down over the next two frames, striking out three and allowing no further damage.In the bottom of the fifth, Clark singled, Paul walked and stole his third base of the game, and another wild pitch allowed a run to score. Becker capped off his day with his third sac fly, bringing in Sawyer Farr to extend the lead to 10-3.
Pitcher Tyler Phewnow kept things quiet for the Philippines scoreboard, only allowing one runner on base in the 8th. The Foresters slid through the 8th inning to maintain their lead. A threat came in the 9th: a player hit by pitch and a single, but a strikeout from Phenow ultimately ended the game.
The Foresters look to carry this winning energy into their homestand, playing the Menlo Park Legends with a first pitch at 4:30pm. Come watch the game Eddie Mathews Field or tune into the Santa Barbara YouTube Channel for live coverage.
(Article courtesy of Santa Barbara Foresters/Sami Ogan).