The final home game of the season brought a huge crowd to Eddie Mathews Field as the Foresters notched a 14-1 victory over the Santa Barbara based Coastal Dodgers on Sunday afternoon.
The Foresters are red hot going into the NBC World Series next week in Wichita, Kansas having outscored opponents 38-4 over their last three contests.
“Tommy Myers does a great job with the Coastal Dodgers. Many of these kids are players that I’ve watched grow up,” said Foresters manager Bill Pintard. “It’s a thrill for them to come play against us and it’s a thrill for us to play against them and see how they’re improving.”
The Foresters received a strong outing from starting pitcher Jaden Barfield who pitched four shutout innings recording seven strikeouts in the process.
Xavier Esquer spearheaded the Foresters attack with a fourth inning home run, two doubles, four RBI and three runs scored. Santa Barbara High product Vince Gamberdella also had a big day at the plate with four RBI.
“I feel like as you get older and you play this game more and more, you really see what the game tells you, you really let the game kind of come to you,” Esquer said. “I didn’t want to be too jumpy today at the plate. I really wanted to let myself see the ball well. “Obviously, I was on the heater today pretty well.”
With the victory, the Foresters finish the regular season in first place in the CCL South Standings with a record of 24-9 overall. They will open the NBC World Series in Wichita on Friday at 6:30 p.m. PT against the Derby Twins. The Foresters will be looking to claim their 11th title and first since 2022.
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