OC Riptide Hands SB Foresters First Loss Of The Summer
June 11, 2026
The Santa Barbara Foresters had been finding ways to win the first week of the 2026 summer season. On Thursday evening, the Orange County Riptide found a way to stop them.
After six innings of scoreless baseball and a festive evening that began with Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse delivering the ceremonial first pitch, Orange County broke through with a two-run seventh inning and held on for a 2 - 1 victory at Eddie Mathews Field, handing the Foresters their first loss of the 2026 season.
For most of the evening, starting pitcher for the 'Sters Zane Burns set the mood offly early, allowing just one hit in four scoreless innings while striking out three Riptide batters. When Burns exited the mound, Will Jordan picked up right where he left off, tossing two hitless innings and striking out four as Orange County struggled to string together any offense.
The Foresters broke through in the bottom of the fifth.
Addison Klepsch ripped a double into the gap and later scored on a run-producing groundout from Marcus Greis, giving Santa Barbara a 1 - 0 lead and putting the home crowd on its feet. It was one of only two hits the Foresters would record all night, but at the time, it felt like it might be enough.
After that came the seventh inning.
After managing just one hit through the first six frames, the Riptide suddenly found life. For the OC Riptide, Slater Nunez came around to score the tying run before Alex Dolan had delivered the RBI hit that put the OC on the board. The visitors added another run in the inning and turned a one-run deficit into a 2 - 1 advantage.
However, the Foresters continued to battle.
The Foresters' pitching staff finished with 14 strikeouts, limiting Orange County to just three hits over the span of nine innings. Noah Waldeck added two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth, giving the Foresters one final chance to rally.
But the OC's bullpen was just as dominant.
The Riptide's winning pitcher, Jackson Pace, shut down Santa Barbara over 2.1 scoreless innings before turning the ball over to Jack Wade, who struck out three across the final two frames to earn his first save of the 2026 season, and they locked down the victory of the evening.
Despite the first loss for the 'Sters, they once again showed why they are one of the toughest teams in the CCL and in summer collegiate baseball. In a weekday game where runs were nearly impossible to come by, one inning proved to be the difference.
Sometimes baseball is not about who gets the most opportunities; it is about who leverages them first.
Up next, the Foresters will look to bounce back and start a new winning streak as they continue their homestand at Eddie Mathews Field against Conejo Oaks on June 12th at 4:30 PM.
One thing is for certain: if the pitching staff keeps performing like it did Thursday night, Santa Barbara won't stay in the loss column for very long.