IRVINE, Calif. – The OC Riptide struggled to find an offensive rhythm in Friday night’s matchup, falling 4–0 to the Santa Barbara Foresters at Great Park.
Right-hander Tommy McGuire set the tone early, retiring the side in order to start the game. Third baseman Camden Sos opened the game with a fantastic defensive play on a hard-hit ball down the third base line. McGuire kept the Foresters shutout for the four innings, striking out two and allowing just two hits.
Bradley Navarro led the Riptide offense with a leadoff single in the bottom of the first and lined a double to left in the eighth, contributing to the team’s only two hits. Despite these efforts, the team failed to capitalize on crucial chances, leaving a number of runners stranded.
The Foresters cracked the scoreboard in the fifth. A walk and a stolen base put a runner in scoring position. Leading to a sacrifice fly bringing him home. Sos once again helped limit the damage with another sharp play at third to end the inning.
In the sixth inning, the Riptide brought in Jake Spence with runners on first and third. Spence forced a groundout to second to escape the jam and keep the deficit at one.
Santa Barbara added to the lead in the seventh with a single, a stolen base, and an error, allowing the runner to get to third, then a wild pitch brought him home to widen the gap. The Foresters added two more runs in the ninth with a double to center after loading the bases on a hit-by-pitch and a walk. The Riptide turned to pitcher Nathan Helman, who closed the frame with a strikeout.
In the bottom of the ninth, Sos led off with a walk, keeping the Riptide in contention. Unfortunately, the next three batters couldn’t capitalize and send a run across, sealing the 4-0 loss.
Head Coach Evans summed it up, “We need to be better on the three pillars of baseball—pitching, hitting, and defense.”
The Riptide takes on Philippines Baseball tomorrow night at 7 pm at Great Park, looking for their first win of the 2025 season.
