The Santa Barbara Foresters delivered the lumber on Wednesday, crushing the California Wahoo 15-2 at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.
“Our hitters swung the bat really well. They waited for their pitch and when it came they put a charge into it,” said Associate Head Coach Pat Burns. “We had a dozen or so balls that were hit really hard right on the screws.”
Tim Maitland, Santa Barbara’s speedy leadoff batter, found the screws right away by launching a triple to right field to kick off the bottom of the first. His University of Texas teammate, Brandon Loy, followed with a double a couple of pitches later.
Foresters (24-9) starter Sam Stafford had some control problems early on, walking the first two batters he faced in the top of the second inning and eventually allowing the bases to load up with just one out on a single by Alex Detz. Stafford, however, induced a pop-up and a line-out to dance out of danger unscathed.
Stafford went four innings on the start, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out six. He committed a pair of errors on errant pickoff attempts to first base.
“Sam had a little trouble locating his fastball. It was a little bit high on the outside, which indicates that he’s been throwing just a little too much. He was still effective, though,” said Burns.
It was a nightmare from the start for Wahoo starter Matt Brady of UCSB. Brady allowed five runs in the second, giving up leadoff singles to Casey McMurray and Mark Castellito before hitting Beau Maggi. A couple more walks, a double and a single ensued before the inning ended mercifully.
Castellito opened the bottom of the third with a ground-rule double and Maggi singled him in. Brady was finally pulled after recording just one out in the frame, finishing the day charged with eight earned runs.
Castellito, an outfielder from Gonzaga, was slumping at the start of the season but has picked it up as of late. He went 3-for-4 on the day with three runs scored and an RBI. Maggi, who just graduated high school and will play at Arizona State next year, went 2-for-4 with three runs scored. He’s been making the most of his limited opportunities while playing behind talented catchers Ryan Hege and Patric Tolentino.
McMurray, a lethal hitter out of the University of Illinois, was making his second start at third base — something he’s not used to after normally serving as an outfielder. His throws from third to first have been a little erratic over the past couple of days, but they’ve been handled by first basemen James Wharton and Hege.
“I’m very impressed with the way he carries the bat. He’s not a third baseman by any means, but he’s a guy without a position right now because we’re so loaded everywhere,” said Burns. “He deserves to play because he always hits the ball hard and he always executes.”
It was a dismal day for the Wahoo except for Kyle Geary, a recent graduate of Carpinteria High. Geary came on in a tough spot in relief of Brady and faced the Division I-level Forester batters with composure, going 3.2 innings and allowing just one hit as the game hit a big lull.
The calm spell ended in the bottom of the eighth, when four hits, a hit batter, a passed ball and a wild pitch led to six Forester runs as the game started to turn from a landslide into an avalanche.
The series wraps up Thursday, with first pitch once again set for 5 p.m. All games are broadcast on AM 1490 KIST and www.sbforesters.org.
