Kees t’Sas and the Santa Barbara Dons baseball team have been trending upwards to start the season, winning its third game of the season on Thursday by a 13-2 margin over Righetti.
The Dons have now increased their offensive output in each of their first three games, outscoring their opponents by a combined score of 24-5.
t’Sas started it off by connecting for a first-inning home run that scored Kenny Crawford. The Dons scored three in the first, one in the second, and five in the third to take a commanding 9-0 lead after three innings.
t’Sas was just as effective on the mound. The senior didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning and picked up his second win of the season. t’Sas completed five innings of one-hit ball. Alec Churchill hurled two innings to finish the job.
John Brontsema hit his first home run of the season in the fifth inning. The three-run blast keyed a four-run inning for the Dons. Brontsema also singled and scored in the first inning.
Max St. John scored three times for Santa Barbara while providing a solid backstop for the Dons pitchers.
“He was really solid at the plate with blocking balls in the dirt,” said Dons assistant coach Mike Cooney.
Santa Barbara (3-0) plays three games next week. The Dons host San Luis Obispo and St. Joseph on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively, followed by a Saturday matchup with top-ranked Harvard-Westlake.
SANTA BARBARA 13, RIGHETTI 2
Santa Barbara 315 040 0 – 13 8 0
Righetti 000 100 1 – 2 3 2
SB – t’Sas, (6) Churchill, and St. John, and Quenzer (6). R – Thompson, Kearns(3), Prober (3), Perez(6), and Curiel. 2B – SB (Crawford), R (Baldonado). HR – SB 2 (t’Sas 1st, 1 on) Brontsema (5th, 2 on). W – t’Sas 2-0. L – Thomson 0-1.
