The Santa Barbara Foresters just missed a walk-off home run by pinch-hitter Steven Zobac Friday, and instead dropped the second game of a series with the Arroyo Seco Saints 6-5 in California Collegiate League action at Pershing Park.
Coupled with the Saints’ 8-5 win Thursday at their place — thanks to a walk-off homer — the Foresters are now in third place in the CCL South with a 7-6 record, behind the San Luis Obispo Blues and the Saints. The Foresters have now dropped three of their last four games.
In Thursday’s game, the Foresters carried a 6-5 lead into the bottom of the ninth, but a two-out, three-run homer by the Saints’ Drew Cowley proved the winner.
The Foresters had 11 hits in the game, led by three hits and an RBI from Dylan Campbell of the University of Texas, making his season debut with the team. Kendall Pettis and Steven Zobac each had two hits for the Foresters, and catcher Jared Thomas had three RBIs.
In Friday’s game Campbell did even better, when two of his three hits went over the fence. He hit a three-run dinger in the fifth inning to give Santa Barbara a 3-2 lead.
But Saints DH Connor Bradshaw’s two-run homer in the sixth put Arroyo Seco up 6-4.
Campbell’s second homer, a solo shot in the ninth, pulled the Foresters within one at 6-5. After a walk and a hit-batsman put two men on, Zobac launched a long fly ball to deep center, which was caught near the fence, ending the game.
The Foresters will try to get back on the winning track with home games on Saturday, against the OC Riptide at 6 p.m., and Sunday against the San Luis Obispo Blues at 2 p.m. Both games can be heard on AM 1290.