‘Sters Sink Saints for Second Consecutive Game; Win 8th Straight

Santa Barbara stayed the course atop the CCL South, clinching the season series with a 7-2 win over the Arroyo Seco Saints. The Foresters carried over yesterday's momentum, adding seven runs on top of the 13 they put up the day before. The real difference was pitching; the 'Ster staff conceded just 2 runs, a sharp drop from the nine they allowed the night before.

It didn't take long for Santa Barbara to get on the board in this one, scoring in the most Forester fashion. After Joshua Woodworth sacrificed himself to drive in Addison Klepsch, the 'Sters executed what I'll dub the "Pintard Special." With runners at the corners, Carter Rutenbar delayed his steal of home perfectly after Brady Janusek took off for second, easily sliding in and doubling the lead.

While the offense stalled through the fourth, starter AJ Krodel was cruising. After being named Pitcher of the Week last week, he picked up right where he left off. In his four innings of work, Krodel only surrendered a single baserunner, retiring the other 12 he faced, with seven being sent away via the strikeout. 

Tanner Grove came out of the pen for the first time this season after starting his previous two, and gave the Saints similar amounts of trouble. The southpaw added a strikeout in the fifth and only had a single Saint reach base.

Kurt Ippolito gave Santa Barbara some cushion when he beat out a ground ball to third that brought home Nick Salmon, who was added back into the lineup after being plunked by a throw in Friday's win over Arroyo Seco. Janusek added the rest, bringing home two more with a single that looked eerily similar to his walk-off on Thursday, extending the lead to 5-0.

Sidearm specialist Grady Westphal was next out for the Foresters and got himself into early trouble with two runners in scoring position. The Saints managed to push across two in his inning of work, scoring on a walk and a groundout, doing their damage without the help of a hit.

The Foresters got the two runs right back, with Christian Turner's speed giving him an RBI on a bunt single before Klepsch extended the 'Ster lead back to five. 

Salmon ignited the Forester bench and crowd in the seventh, climbing the ladder and making a great catch, full extension, on a liner to first. 

Max McGrady, Carter Speights, and Joey Wittig combined to close the game from the seventh onward, keeping Arroyo Seco scoreless through their three innings of work.

The Foresters play their first of six matchups with rival San Luis Obispo Blues tomorrow in SLO before returning home for a six-game homestand on Tuesday. As always, catch all the action on the Foresters YouTube channel.