WICHITA — It took them until 3 a.m., but the Santa Barbara Foresters finally put the Topeka Golden Giants to sleep.
After losing a two-run lead in the bottom of the ninth, Santa Barbara exploded for five runs in the top of the 10th to win 11-6 and improve to 3-0 in the National Baseball Congress World Series at Lawrence Dumont Stadium.
Jeff McNeil went 3-for-5 with a triple, two runs scored and a stolen base while Joe Wallace had a triple and double for the Foresters, who will play the Kenai (AK) Oilers on Tuesday night.
“Tonight was friggin’ fun,” said manager Bill PIntard. “We smacked them in the face and then they came back and they tested us. We showed them we have resolve, and that we don’t quit.”
Starter Mitch Mormann was dominant early, striking out eight in his first four-and-a-third innings of work before giving up two runs on three walks and a single in the fifth. The 6-foot-6 power-pitcher was hitting 96 mph on the gun.
Santa Barbara’s “Mighty Mites” at the top of the order, Brett Vertigan and Jeff McNeil, led off the top of the sixth with back-to-back triples, with McNeil coming all the way around on a throwing error. Before the inning was over, the Foresters had batted around and scored five runs to go up 5-2.
“They just set the tone and the pace. You talk about ‘Stering it up,’ well that’s exactly what they do,” said Pintard of Vertigan and McNeil. “These guys are in the middle of everything all the time.”
Pintard decided to keep Mormann in for the sixth, but a leadoff walk ended the Wichita State righty’s night and he gave way to Ian McCarthy, who gave up one run through two-and-a-third.
An insurance run in the eighth made it 7-5, but with two out in the bottom of the ninth, Topeka nabbed a single, a triple and a double to tie the score. By the time the 10th began it was past 2 a.m., but instead of falling flat the Foresters exploded for five runs — including a Wallace triple — in the top half before TJ McGreevy shut the door in the bottom half.
“We came back up off the canvas and delivered a knockout punch to them. Yeah, I like that,” said Pintard. “Let everybody party early — we’ll party at the end.”
All games are broadcast on AM 990 and www.sbforesters.org.
