Irvine, Calif. – The Orange County Riptide got a win over the Santa Barbara Foresters Saturday night in a well rounded game. The Riptide held off the potential comeback in the ninth to win 5-3.
Head coach Connor Spencer was proud of the way the team bounced back after a tough loss against the Foresters the night before.
“The biggest message today was the ability to finish a baseball game,” said Spencer. “Guys are able to go into pressure situations and act like it’s business as usual. The moment doesn’t get too big and we did a good job of being able to brush things off if something went wrong tonight.”
Situational Hitting
Nathan Cadena (San Jose State) tied things up for the Riptide in the fourth with an RBI double to the wall, scoring Isaiah Morales (Utah Valley). Patrick Hackworth (UCSD) capped off a five run inning with a bases clearing double that scored three.
“I feel like Patty has improved as the summer has gone on,” said Spencer. “He’s a kid who’s really starting to buy into who he is as a player. When he does that he’s a special kind of utility guy that can do a bunch of different things for a ball club.”
Collective Effort
Tyler Valdez (Undecided) threw 6 innings of one run ball on five hits. However, Valdez struck out seven batters and didn’t allow a walk. He retired the final eight batters he faced without allowing them to reach base.
Brett Garcia (Undecided) entered in relief for the Riptide and struck out the side in order. Garcia was quick and effective in his lone inning in relief.
In the eighth inning the Riptide found themselves in a tough situation but Curren Larson (Undecided) entered with two runners on and struck out back-to-back batters looking to end the inning.
The Riptide will take on the Foresters one last time this summer on Sunday in Santa Barbara. First pitch scheduled for 2 p.m pacific time.
Foresters vs. OC Riptide – Box