Santa Barbara, Calif. – The Riptide took a heartbreaking loss against the Santa Barbara Foresters, 10-9. In an 11-inning game, the 9th through the 11th innings were a game of cat and mouse with both teams tying the game and forcing extra innings. The Riptide achieved a 9-5 lead going into the bottom half of the 11th inning but lost it.
Scoring First
The Riptide took the lead first with an RBI from Reese Chapman (Tennessee), scoring Cooper Dulich (Creighton) from second base. The Foresters answered right away with a solo home run in the first at-bat of the bottom half of the 3rd.
A 2-run MOON SHOT to right-center by Reese Chapman (Tennessee) in the 5th, gave the Riptide the lead once again. But the Foresters took it away in the 8th with a 2-run home run.
Trouble in the 9th
After words were said between the Foresters’ catcher and Cooper Dulich (Creighton) after Dulich’s strikeout, the catcher was ejected. Then in the next at-bat, a wild pitch scored Carter Garate (Oregon) from 3rd base, tying the game 4-4.
Sam Hasegawa (UCSD) took the mound for the Riptide in the 9th, and shut down the Foresters, taking the game into the 10th inning.
Beyond the Nine
In custom with extra innings, Reese Chapman (Tennessee) took 2nd base, and quickly advanced to 3rd on a wild pitch. Nathan Cadena (San Jose State) lined an RBI single up the middle to reclaim the lead, scoring Chapman in the 10th.
The Foresters scored their runner on 2nd base, on an RBI sac-fly to left, tying the game 5-5. The tie lasted through the 10th and brought the game into the 11th.
Grady Morgan (Fresno State), being the last out for the Riptide in the 10th, started on 2nd base. Morgan scored on an RBI single from Patrick Hackworth (UCSD) that took the infielders off their bags, leaving no one to throw him out at 1st. The Riptide took the lead 6-5. Reese Chapman (Tennessee) hit a blooper down the first base line that was dropped by the second baseman, which scored Morales, Hackworth, and Clift. The Riptide led 9-5.
Errors by the Riptide’s defense, unfortunately, cost them the game, with the Foresters scoring five runs in the 11th. Assistant Coach Zach Taylor said, “I think just a couple of boneheaded mistakes came into play and that’s just baseball. Sometimes, you know, we’re just happy that it was physical errors and not mental errors. Those are the kind of errors that we’ll overcome and get better in the long run.”
Coming Up
The Riptide will face the Foresters on July 22nd, at 7:00 p.m. at the Great Park.
Riptide vs. Foresters – Box Score