The winning streak reached 13 games for the Santa Barbara Foresters on Tuesday night with a 9-3 win over the San Luis Obispo Rattlers at Sinsheimer Stadium.
Nick Melino hit a line-drive two-run homer in the third and Kyle Kubitza follwed with an inside-the park home run. The Foresters (30-7, 20-5 California Collegiate League) scored six in the frame. Jeff McVaney reached base four times, scoring two runs and driving in another, while young catcher Riley Moore out of San Marcos High had a double late in the game.
“My last one was in Little League, and it was a grand slam with a few errors,” said Kubitza. “When I was about to get to third I was really surprised that [third base coach Casey Cloud] sent me home, but I’m glad he did.”
Tom Lemke turned in four solid innings before giving way to the bullpen, as Jonathan Abramson got the win and Ryan Hawthorne struck out the side in the ninth for the second straight game.
Hawthorne said that it’s been a lot of fun winning 20 out of the last 22 games, and admitted staying humble has been tough for the nation’s second-ranked team.
“I don’t think we’re staying to humble. We come to the yard expecting to win, which can be good in baseball. It’s good to be a little cocky. We’re on a roll and everyone’s having a lot of fun,” he said.
The Foresters play the Rattlers (16-20, 17-19) again at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. After the regular season ends at Santa Maria on August 1st, the team will leave on the bus for Wichita and the NBC World Series. Their first game is scheduled for either August 3rd or 4th.
