The Santa Barbara Foresters recorded seven stolen bases and stole home twice in the first two innings of Tuesday night’s 15-4 rout of the Conejo Oaks in a California Collegiate League baseball game at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.
The first inning resembled a high school track meet more than a baseball game as three runners advanced on wild pitches from Oaks’ starter Travis Radke (Portland), in addition to the stolen bases. Radke, a recent graduate of Oaks Christian High, was rattled early by the Foresters’ aggressive baserunning and gave up seven runs on five hits in just two innings of work.
Joe Wallace (UCSB) took advantage of shaky fielding from the Oaks and stole home for the Foresters’ fifth run in the first inning. In the second, Lance Roenicke (UCSB) also stole home after the Oaks’ defense became preoccupied with tagging out Jeff McVaney (Texas State) as he got himself out of a pickle on a double steal.
“We talked about trying to get out to a quick start,” Foresters head coach Bill Pintard said. “We sure did that today.”
Right-hander Bryan Crabb (San Diego State) started the game for the Foresters and struggled to find the strike zone. He allowed all four Oaks runs on seven hits in three innings.
Ian McCarthy (Oklahoma State) relieved Crabb and pitched three hitless innings. Kyle Friedrichs (Long Beach State) and Spencer Messmore (CSU Bakersfield) finished the game for Santa Barbara, with neither allowing a hit.
Derek Legg (Cal State Fullerton) led the Foresters’ bats. Legg pinch hit for an injured Shane Kroker (CSU Chico) in the third inning, and smacked the first pitch he saw to the warning track for a triple. He continued his fine performance with a two-run single in the sixth, and a two-run single in the seventh.
“I was closing my eyes and swinging the bat, and luckily it got the right piece of the wood,” Legg said tongue-in-cheek.
A relentless onslaught of Foresters’ batters and base-runners made for one of the longest games of the season. Tuesday night’s game lasted three hours and eight minutes, with the sun setting behind the Santa Ynez Mountains just as Spencer Messmore recorded the second out in the ninth inning.
Christian Summers (Texas) made his debut at shortstop for the Foresters, and went 1-4 with a run scored and a spectacular leaping catch to rob Oaks’ outfield J.C. Aguayo (NW Oklahoma State) of a base hit in the fifth inning.
The Foresters (16-4 overall, 12-4 CCL) will stay at home to face the MLB Academy Barons at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium at 5 p.m. Wednesday. The Oaks (12-9 overall, 8-9 CCL) will face Santa Barbara again in Thousand Oaks on Thursday at 5 p.m.
All Forester games are broadcast on AM 990 KTMS and www.sbforesters.org.
GAME NOTES: Shane Kroker was pulled from the game after straining his groin. Coach Pintard saying the substitution was a precautionary measure … The Foresters extended their first-place lead in the CCL over the San Luis Obispo Blues to 1.5 games after the Blues lost 10-2 to the Barons… The Foresters have stolen 58 bases this season and their opponents 28.
