Ippolito’s Late Game Heroics Salvage Santa Barbara in Win

A windy day in Ventura had little impact on the outcome of the third meeting of the season between the Foresters and Oaks. The CCL South matchup was tight throughout, with each team unable to score more than once per inning. The Foresters, however, emerged victorious on the back of Kurt Ippolito, who drove in the winning run and made an astute defensive play to preserve the 3-2 score.

The Oaks got on the board early in this affair, capitalizing on a pair of hit batsmen and a walk to work around Foresters starter Jack Fowler's impressive three-strikeout inning. Although Fowler continuously got ahead, both in counts and in outs, Conejo stayed patient, pushing the bases loaded with two outs in the third before Fowler slammed the door with his sixth strikeout of the ballgame.

It took four innings for Santa Barbara to get on the board in this one. Nick Salmon's RBI double brought home Landon Schaefer, who got on with a swinging bunt, stole his way to second, and tagged up to find himself at third. 

The deadlock was short-lived, however, with the Oaks regaining their one-run lead in the fourth. 'Sters reliever Noah Waldeck will be happy with that outcome, working around the bases being loaded with nobody out, inducing two popouts and a strikeout to keep the game close.

Classifying this game as back-and-forth was appropriate when Santa Barbara once again tied it in the fifth. Christian Turner led off the inning with a walk before swiping second base, letting Sawyer Farr bring him home on a single that saw him get to third. That was all the Foresters could muster, as the Oaks got the next two hitters down on strikes.

Luke Cornelison was dealing in his three innings of relief, striking out five, while only conceding a singular baserunner. This helped offset the Foresters' inability to capitalize, as they left the bases loaded in the top of the sixth and seventh.

Ippolito's triple to right-center field in the top of the eighth gave the 'Sters their precious lead back as Zane Becker trotted home. Ippolito was also responsible for keeping the lead intact in the bottom half, when he gunned down the game-tying run at home on a single to right field.

The top of Conejo's order was no match for Lucien Wechsberg, who recorded his second save of the season, retiring the side in order, all by the way of the K. 

Santa Barbara improves their record to 8-1, returning to Eddie Mathews Field tomorrow for a two-game homestand.

Catch all the action on the Foresters YouTube channel.