The first and ninth innings were dicey, but the eighth — championship, that is — came nonetheless.
The Santa Barbara Foresters rallied back from a 3-0 deficit in the first inning and held off a surge in the ninth to capture their eighth consecutive California Collegiate League title with a 7-5 win over the Conejo Oaks Wednesday at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.
“It feels really good. It feels really, really good, and I’m smiling from ear to ear. I’m pleased with my guys,” said manager Bill Pintard. “We’ve been beat up for a while and we still figured out a way to win.”
Patric Tolentino had an RBI single and a solo home run in the game (photos by Eric Isaacs/EMI Photography).
Starter Kevin Chambers figured out a way to settle down after giving up three runs in the first, making an adjustment with pitching coach Dan Yokubaitis before coming out and allowing no hits through the next four innings. His offense recognized the effort by scoring five runs in the first five innings. The Oklahoma State lefty finished with seven strikeouts, four walks and two earned runs in the outing, recording 1-2-3 innings in the fourth and fifth.
“I was really happy with Chambers, because this is his first extended start after his (elbow injury). He came out after that adjustment and he threw fine, which was great to see,” said Pintard.
Santa Barbara’s first run came on back-to-back doubles by Kyle Kubitza and Jeremy Rathjen in the bottom of the first. The Foresters got to Oaks starter Jacob Fiss again in the fourth after Jeff McVaney led off with a double. Walker Moore singled up the middle and Michael Ratterree walked to load the bases with no outs and the score at 3-1.
McVaney was thrown out trying to score on a wild pitch, and all of a sudden there was an out and just two runners on.
“If we didn’t score in that inning it would have been a disaster. It would have been terrible,” noted Pintard.
In stepped Santa Barbara’s eighth and ninth hitters, catcher Patric Tolentino and shortstop Shane Kroker. Tolentino blooped an RBI single into shallow center field that made it 3-2, and Kroker came through with an opposite-field single that drove in two more and gave the Foresters (36-9, 25-7) a 4-3 lead.
“That knock by Kroker was huge right there,” said Tolentino, who also hit a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the sixth. “Our offense is really, really rolling right now, and I think everybody’s a tough out in our lineup. I bet every guy on our team is hitting better this summer than they were at school this year, and that’s a credit to [hitting coach Gary Woods] and Coach Pintard.”
Moore drove in Rathjen on a fly ball to left in the fifth, and Rathjen added an RBI single to Tolentino’s home run, making it 7-3 after six innings.
Bryce Uhrig struck out two batters while pitching a scoreless seventh inning.
But it wasn’t time to hand out the trophy yet.
Conejo’s Matt Scioscia doubled off of Nolan Rudmond to start the top of the ninth, and back-to-back infield errors by the Foresters allowed him to score while leaving runners at the corners and no outs. Brad Greve drove in another run and reached on a fielder’s choice. He took second on a wild pitch, and Jack Marder was walked. Another wild pitch allowed Greve to get to third, putting runners at the corners with one out and the score at 7-5.
Matthew Reckling came in to relieve Rudmond, and the Foresters knew that the Oaks (21-25, 12-20) were going to have Marder try to steal second to put the tying run in scoring position. Pintard met with Reckling and Tolentino at the mound to discuss what to do about the runner. Should the throw not be in time, Greve might have been able to come in and score. Even worse, if the throw was errant and went into the outfield, Greve could score and Marder could make it to third.
“A lot of teams wouldn’t make that throw, but when I said we were throwing through Tolentino’s eyes lit up. We don’t play out of fear of failing. We strive for success, and we’ll deal with our failures,” said Pintard.
Marder had stolen 11 bases on 12 attempts last season, but sure enough Tolentino threw him out on one of the defensive highlights of the summer.
“Coach just told me to be aggressive with it, and when I knew I had his backing I just went for it,” said Tolentino. “He just told me what to do, and I’m glad I got it done.”
Reckling got Kyle Jones to pop up to second base to end the game, and the trophy presentation ensued.
The Foresters wrap up the series against the Oaks at Cal Lutheran University on Thursday at 5 p.m. All games are broadcast on AM 1490 and www.sbforesters.org.
