ORANGE — Leadoff man Brett Vertigan went 2-for-3 with an RBI double, two stolen bases and a run scored as the injury-laden Santa Barbara Foresters bounced back from two straight losses with an exciting 6-4 win against the Orange County Pioneers at Hart Park on Friday night.
The Foresters stole eight bases on the night and executed well, according to manager Bill Pintard.
“We brought everything at them tonight, and it was good to get back to how we’re supposed to play,” he said.
T.J. McGreevy (3-0) came in for fellow Wichita State hurler Albert Minnis, who was ejected from his start for arguing balls and strikes in between the fourth and fifth innings, and pitched three perfect frames with four strikeouts.
Santa Barbara (17-6, 13-6 CCL) took a 1-0 lead on Vertigan’s RBI double in the second, which drove in catcher Tyler Pearson from second base. Derek Legg hit an RBI double of his own to put the Foresters up 2-0 in the third, but the Pioneers (11-9 CCL) responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Vertigan stole third and scored to make it 3-2 in the fourth, but the Pionners scored twice on the fourth on a double by Tyler Richardson and a single from Casey Toven.
Legg drove in Blake Brown on a single in the fifth to tie it up at 4-4, and Jeff McNeil sacrificed Joe Wallace home in the eighth to give the Foresters a lead they would not relinquish. James Wharton scored the final run from third on a throw down to second which caught Christian Summers stealing in the eighth.
Austin Kubitza struck out three in the final two innings to pick up his first save of the season. The two teams square off again at Hart Park on Saturday at 4 p.m., with the University of Houston’s Codey Morehouse making his first start. All games are broadcast on AM 990 and www.sbforesters.org.
