There are star players from all over the country itching to chip in for the defending NBC champion Foresters, but sometimes you don’t have to look far for key contributors.
Westmont hurler Tim Crabbe pitched a complete-game shutout in the opener of Sunday’s doubleheader against the San Diego Waves, a 6-0 Santa Barbara victory at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium. Steve Cook, who represents the other two local college programs as a current UCSB Gaucho and past SBCC Vaquero, had four hits in the second half of the double-dip as the Foresters picked up a 7-1 win to improve to 3-0 on the season.
Cook finished 6-for-9 on the day with six runs scored and two RBIs for Santa Barbara, which opened the 2009 campaign with 24 straight shutout innings before the Waves got on the board in Sunday’s final frame.
Lots of infield hits to start the day evidenced the ongoing transition from metal to wooden bats for the college players, but John DeAlba broke the ice with a two-run bomb over the right field fence late in the second game.
“It’s a big adjustment. You’ve really gotta stay on the ball and you can’t swing as big as metal because there’s a lot smaller sweet spot,” said DeAlba, a Dos Pueblos grad who also played for SBCC before suiting up as a Gaucho.
The pitching staff’s 0.40 ERA thus far is particularly impressive because some of the Foresters’ most highly touted arms haven’t even arrived yet. But not Crabbe, as Pintard said he is a legitimate prospect in next week’s MLB draft.
“I went up to scout Crabbe for the Angels and he pitched a complete game and retired 19 in a row,” said manager Bill Pintard, who said the Warrior was clocked consistently at 91 mph on his fastball.
The Waves’ defense forgot to arrive for the first game, committing six errors as the Foresters gladly accepted the gifts and cashed them in. San Diego added two more errors in the second game, and despite getting on the board at the end of the day, it was surely a long bus-ride back home.
Pintard’s lineup included three straight Gauchos at the top of the order in Cook, DeAlba and Eric Oliver, while SBCC’s Greg Pellici turned in a solid start and Ryan Gardener finished things up. In between them was Bishop Diego grad Casey Yokubaitis, who struck out the side in order in the sixth.
“It’s good because they’ve played for me before,” said Pintard of the local contingent in the lineup. “They know how we play while the other guys are still getting a feel for it.”
Monday is a day off for the Foresters, before Santa Maria pays a visit Tuesday with first pitch set for 5 p.m. All the games are broadcast live on AM 1490 KIST and online at sbforesters@org.
