COMPTON — A.J. Griffin was rock solid no matter how he wore his socks.
The University of San Diego right-hander pitched six shutout innings and allowed just three hits in his start Sunday as the Santa Barbara Foresters picked up a 4-2 win over the host Academy Barons.
Though he was reluctant to talk about it after the game, Griffin made a wardrobe adjustment during his outing to try and drum up a few more strikeouts. He wore his pant legs down to his shoes for the first three innings, then pulled them up to expose his red socks for the fourth, and pulled them down again one more time before being replaced after the sixth.
“We noticed it in the dugout and we made a few comments to ourselves and that was it,” said coach Bill Pintard. “Nothing’s really odd when it comes to that guy. He’s a character who loves the game, and every team needs a guy like him.”
With the win, the Foresters (11-4, 4-2) took sole possession of first place in the California Collegiate League, in which they are six-time defending champs.
The Foresters were cruising with a 4-0 lead until the bottom of the ninth, when the Barons cut the lead to 4-2 and had the bases loaded with just two outs against Sam Spangler. Kevin Dickey came on in relief and shut the door on the comeback attempt.
Ryan Goetz continued to make tough plays at third base look easy, and Pintard continued to sing his praises.
“Ryan Goetz has already saved us a lot of runs this year, and the thing about it is that he expects to make those plays,” said Pintard.
Santa Barbara got its first two runs off of four straight one-out doubles in the second inning. Matt Valaika started it off with a line drive that came within an inch of Barons starter Chris Licon’s head. James Wharton, David Harris and Patric Tolentino would grab the ensuing base knocks.
Wharton went 3-for-4 with his second triple in as many games.
The Foresters scored their next two runs on consecutive errors by Urban Academy in the eighth, and managed to hold off the hosts and take the rubber match of the 3-game series despite the tense ninth.
The Foresters do not play Monday, and instead will have a day down at Angels Stadium with pediatric cancer patients supported by the Hugs for Cubs Foundation. Ex-Forester Ryan Spilborghs will be suited up for the Rockies, and the kids and Forester players will get to go down on the field beforehand.
Santa Barbara hosts the Santa Maria Pilots on Tuesday at 5 p.m. All games are broadcast on AM 1490 KIST and www.sbforesters.org.
