The Santa Barbara Foresters are just two wins away from their second-straight NBC World Series title after an 8-6 victory over the St. Joseph Mustangs on Wednesday.
Both teams entered the matchup undefeated in the tournament, with the Foresters surviving as the last unbeaten team in Wichita. Santa Barbara now plays the Hays Larks on Thursday. A victory there puts them in the National Championship Game.
Including the regular season, the Foresters have won 14 in a row.
Tonight’s game with the Hay Larks begins at 5:30 California time. For more information on the NBC World Series, follow this link.
Shane Hoeschler powered Santa Barbara’s offense against St. Joseph, a franchise based in St. Joseph, Missouri. The Foresters’ third baseman recorded three hits, two RBIs and two runs scored.
Santa Barbara built a 5-2 lead after three innings, but St. Joseph rallied to tie 5-5 with two runs in the fourth and one in the fifth.
The winning run came for Santa Barbara in the bottom of the fifth as Ryan O’Hearn and Arby Fields connected for doubles, the second driving in Hoelscher for a 7-5 lead.
Albert Minnis picked up the pitching victory for 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Hunter Lemke got the final two outs for his 15th save of the season.
