Foresters begin 4-game homestand with a win
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The Foresters sweep the MLB Academy Barons in their two-game set. Tonight, the pitching stayed hot and timely hitting gave the Sters’ a 4-1 win.
The Foresters’ arms, consisting of Zane Petty, Carson Turnquist, and Blake Pivaroff, shut the Barons down and gave the Sters’ bats a chance to win the game. In his Foresters debut, starting pitcher, Petty, tossed 4 shutout innings and earned his first “W” of the season. Petty described his mindset on the mound as just wanting to have fun and enjoy his first start with the team. Turnquist came on in relief and threw 4 innings, only allowing 1 run on a single that happened to find a hole in the outfield. Pivaroff collected the save and closed out the game by only facing three batters.
The league-leading pitching staff stays on top. The Foresters pitchers lead the CCL in ERA and tonight’s 1 earned run means that statistic keeps improving. The pitching has only allowed 1.25 runs per game over the last 4 contests. This statistic is giving the Sters’ the opportunity to win close games and to also pull away late in games.
Let’s get into tonight’s action! In the bottom of the 3rd the Foresters’ jumped on a couple of mistakes from Berinti. One of the newest Foresters, Rylan Galvan, reached first base due to a walk and was able to touch home with an RBI single from Will Rogers. Eamonn Lance, another new face, picked up his first RBI of the season driving in Kevin Michaels from third. The two RBIs gave the Sters’ a 2-0 lead.
The Barons made the ball game interesting late in the game. They squeezed out a run in the top of the 8th with a single into “no man’s land” from Dias that dropped between Ryan Black and Max Belyeu in right field. Laureano scored for the Barons to cut the Foresters’ slim lead to 2-1.
Just as the Barons thought they could pull off the comeback, the Foresters put the game out of reach in the bottom half of the inning. The Barons could not buy an out and struggled defensively. Lance started the rally by reaching on an infield single to shortstop. Belyeu hammered a double down the right-field line that kicked off the wall. This allowed Lance to take a trip around the bases and give the Foresters a 3-1 advantage. John Newman followed up the run by taking first on an error by Dylan Lina. The Barons’ defensive woes continued with another error by Mark-Anthony Hernandez at first base which allowed Belyeu to score and Jalin Flores to reach safely. The cushion was enough for Pivaroff to slam the door in the 9th.
As the Foresters head into the heart of CCL play, it is important that they continue to be lights out on the mound and capitalize at the plate. They have done just that over their 4-game win streak and look to remain victorious against the Ventura Pirates tomorrow, June 23rd, at the Persh. The home game festivities will start at 6:00 p.m. and all Foresters’ games can be heard live on AM 1290 radio; or listen online or stream live via the Foresters website, www.sbforesters.org.
(Courtesy of Kyle Howie SB Foresters)
