After a scoreless battle through six innings, the Santa Barbara Foresters gave up five runs in the bottom of the seventh and fell short in a comeback attempt against the San Luis Obispo Blues, falling 5-3 at Sinsheimer Park on Sunday.
The Foresters responded in the top of the 8th inning, scoring three runs on a Gianni Horvat double, a Daniel Peterson groundout and a Ryan Black single. They threatened in the ninth, loading the bases with one out. But the Blues managed to get the final two outs to end the game.
The Foresters split the season-opening two-game series. They’ll resume play on Tuesday at the Arroyo Seco Saints.
Santa Barbara starting pitcher Kolby Kmetko had a strong outing on Sunday, tossing four shutout innings with four strikeouts. Blues pitcher Robbie Lardner also had an impressive game, going five innings with five strikeouts and allowing only four hits. He faced the minimum of 15 batters through his five innings of work.
The Blues’ offense erupted in the bottom of the seventh. Luke Pemberton and T.J. Adams each recorded two-run hits and Jeriah Lewis tacked on an insurance run for a 5-0 lead.