An asset that had carried the Santa Barbara Foresters all season is showing some signs of wear and tear, as the Orange County Riptide hammered the Foresters’ bullpen to rally for a 7-4 California Collegiate League victory on Wednesday.
The Foresters held a 4-1 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth, with the Riptide exploding for six runs, with Santa Barbara’s Jacob Burton and Elijah Trest both surrendering three apiece.
“Our guys can throw hard, but you still have to throw strikes,” Forester manager Bill Pintard.
Burton and Trest combined to give up four walks — with the Riptide also adding three hits.
The late collapse overshadowed another solid offensive performance by the Foresters, with Nick Bellafronto going 3-for-4 with his first home run of the season, while Blake Hall also had two hits. Seven of the nine hitters in the Forester lineup had a hit.
For the second consecutive game, the Foresters failed to steal a base after starting the season with 21 games with at least two.
Santa Barbara falls to 17-6 overall and 15-5 in league play.
The same two teams will face off today at Pershing Park for the annual Fourth of July game starting at 4:30 p.m. Follow all the action on AM1290 or via newspress.com.
