Austin Kubitza had been dominant out of the bullpen all summer for the Santa Barbara Foresters, and he continued to thrive in his first start on Friday. The Freshman All-American out of Rice University picked up the win, throwing five innings of one-run ball, giving up just three hits while striking out seven to pick up his first win. The Foresters posted two key insurance runs for the second straight day, winning 5-2.
“I hadn’t started since I’ve been here. I hadn’t started for about a month-and-a-half now, but it felt good to finally get out there on the mound and throw more than one or two innings,” said Kubitza, who led Rice in innings pitched in his first year with 92.
Christian Summers had three singles and two RBIs, Robert Vickers drove one in on two hits and Jeff McVaney — the CCL’s leading hitter with a .436 average — added two base knocks of his own.
Glendale (18-16, 7-15 CCL) came into the game with a whopping 114 stolen bases on the season while the prolifically steal-happy Foresters (26-8, 18-8 CCL) were at 90. Both sides continued to run aggressively, with Glendale stealing 6-of-7 and Santa Barbara swiping 5-of-6.
Ian McCarthy relieved Kubitza and gave up no hits through three innings, as Stephen Johnson came in to nab his second save of the year. Santa Barbara tacked on two runs in the eighth on a wild pitch and Summers single to make a one-run lead more comfortable.
The first-place Foresters head down to Glendale for a 7 p.m. start on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on AM 990 and www.sbforesters.org.
