WICHITA — Austin Dicharry had things set on cruise control Friday, needing just 97 pitches to slice through the 92-degree heat and the League City (TX) Hornets in the Santa Barbara Foresters’ 9-1 win in the second round of the National Baseball Congress World Series.
“He was dealing out there today. There was really only one really hard-hit ball to the outfield all night,” said outfielder Jeff McVaney, who had a walk, a single, a double and a triple while driving in two runs.
The Hornets scattered just three hits the whole night and committed five errors. The Foresters, meanwhile, put up 11 hits and got four RBIs from third-year first-baseman James Wharton.
The 92-degree heat was actually a relief for Santa Barbara compared to the 103-degree temperatures that engulfed their tournament-opening 10-inning win on Wednesday.
“There was definitely a difference, mainly because the turf wasn’t as hot today,” said McVaney, who finished the regular season with a remarkable .412 average.
Jeff McNeil was hit by a pitch with one out in the first and McVaney followed with an opposite-field triple to right field. An error in the bottom of the third allowed the Hornets’ only run to come across, tying the game. McVaney scored on an RBI single by Jared Womack to break the tie in the fourth. Wharton hit a two-run double in the fifth and scored on a Derek Legg RBI in the seventh.
Back-to-back errors by League City in the eighth allowed Brett Vertigan and Jeff McNeil to score, and one more was added in the ninth when Wharton was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
The Foresters will play the Topeka (KS) Golden Giants on Sunday, with the game time yet to be determined.
