IRVINE, Calif — The Orange County Riptide entered Thursday’s high-stakes matchup looking to knock off the CCL’s best team for the second time this season. They accomplished that feat in dramatic fashion, rallying in the late innings to defeat the Santa Barbara Foresters 6-5 in a wild game from Great Park.
The Riptide entered the night looking to turn the page after Wednesday’s disappointing 3-2 loss to the San Diego Waves, a game that slipped away late. Orange County appeared headed toward its third consecutive defeat, trailing 4-0 entering the bottom of the seventh inning.
Then, the Riptide offense came to life. Despite Santa Barbara limiting Orange County’s lineup to just one hit through six innings, the bullpen failed to hold onto the four-run advantage.
“First six (innings), they dominated in every aspect of the game,” Riptide head coach Bryan Evans said. “That was a really good rally, and we needed that right there.”
Tatum Marsh kickstarted the rally with a two-out, two-run triple on an 0-2 count to cut the deficit in half. The left fielder has been red-hot to start the month of July, notching eight RBIs in five games.
An inning later, first baseman Alonso Reyes flared a bases-loaded single to right-center to tie the game at four. Orange County then took its first lead of the night on a wild pitch from Luke Cornelison, before catcher Cooper Clouser added a crucial insurance run with an RBI single to bring Reyes home.
The Foresters mounted a late push in the ninth, trimming the lead to one on a run-scoring single and loading the bases with two outs for center fielder Brady Janusek against Riptide left-hander Austin Kirkwood. The southpaw delivered by inducing a fly ball to right field, securing a dramatic comeback victory over a talented Santa Barbara club.
The victory marked Orange County’s 10th come-from-behind win of the season, showcasing the Riptide’s resilience and ability to deliver quality at-bats in crucial late-game situations. The rally was also the second-largest comeback of the year, surpassed only by Orange County’s five-run comeback against the San Diego Waves on June 7.
Although Santa Barbara’s bullpen faltered, Foresters starter Calvin Proskey continued his recent dominance, tossing five scoreless innings while allowing just one hit and striking out nine. The right-hander has now fired 13 consecutive scoreless innings since surrendering his last earned run on June 19 against the Arroyo Seco Saints. Reliever Nick Salmon followed Proskey with a perfect sixth inning, striking out two in a 1-2-3 frame.
“Their first two pitchers were getting ahead, attacking with fastballs, attacking with offspeed,” Evans said. “It just looked like they had a lot of confidence and they kept us off-balance.”
A night after going 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position, the Riptide flipped the script by delivering in clutch moments, going 5-for-11 (.455) with RISP.
With the thrilling victory, the Riptide improved to 18-10 on the season and now sit 3.5 games behind Santa Barbara for first place in the CCL South Division.
Orange County will stay home and look to carry the momentum from Thursday’s heroics into a matchup with the San Diego Bombers. First pitch is scheduled for Friday at 7:00 p.m.
“The boys are hyped,” Evans said. “Hopefully we can keep it rolling.”
