The Long Walk To Victory Against The Coastal Dodgers

For five innings, the Santa Barbara Foresters looked firmly in control behind a dominant start from starting pitcher Henry Prindl. After watching a three-run lead disappear late in the game, the Foresters refused to fold, instead answering with late-inning resilience before walking off the Coastal Dodgers, 7 - 6, in 10 innings on Sunday afternoon at Eddie Mathews Field. 

In his sixth appearance for the Foresters, right-handed pitcher Henry Prindl overpowered the Coastal Dodgers lineup, striking out 10 batters across five scoreless innings while allowing little opportunity for the visitors to generate offense. Obtaining a 4.50 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP this far in the 2026 summer season, Prindl struck out two in the opening inning before adding three more punchouts by the second. Whereas in the bottom of the third inning, he had already collected seven strikeouts, consistently getting swings and misses with his release of the ball breaking on all corners of the plate. His last three strikeouts came in perfectly pitched in the fourth and fifth innings before he closed his outing with a scoreless fifth inning. 

However, the Forestes pitching staff was once again the backbone of the victory, combining for 15 strikeouts while allowing just 5 runs and 2 earned runs in 10 innings. Henry Prindl delivered another dominant performance, tossing five no-hit innings with 10 strikeouts, 4 walks, 83 pitches to go through the Coastal Dodgers lineup. After Prindl's exit from the mound, Brody Berlowitz had battled through a hefty sixth inning, allowing three runs, where only two of them were earned. Before Joey Wittig settled the game over the next two frames, striking out two while surrendering one hit. To close the game, Carter Speights worked a scoreless ninth to force extra innings, punching out two batters, before Will Jordan closed the door in the tenth. Although the Dodgers pushed across the automatic runner, the run was unearned, allowing Jordan to earn his second victory of the summer as the Foresters completed the dramatic walkoff walk comeback. 

After both offenses were quiet through the first three innings, Santa Barbara finally broke the scoreless tie in the fourth. Cole Chamberlain sparked the inning with a single before Wylan Nelson followed with another solid base hit. A pair of wild pitches proved costly for the pitchers for the away team, the Coastal Dodgers, who allowed Chamberlain to race home for the game's first run. Joshua Woodworth added another hit later in the inning to keep applying pressure on the Foresters, as they took a 1 - 0 advantage. Santa Barbara added two more runs in the fifth inning without recording another hit. Nate Rivera doubled to left before Makani Nabarro drew a walk. Aggressive baserunning, a stolen base by Chamberlain, and another wild pitch allowed Addison Klepsch to score, stretching the lead to 3 - 0. 

However, in continuation of Prindl's exit after the fifth inning, the momentum shifted greatly. The Coastal Dodgers took advantage of an error and several wild pitches in the sixth inning, scoring three unearned runs to erase the lead of the Foresters. An RBI double from Bradley Cekada started the rally before Ashton Bluem delivered a two-run single to tie the game at 3 -3 successfully. In the seventh inning, another Santa Barbara error had allowed two more unearned runs as the Dodgers gained a 5 - 3 lead despite recording just one hit. 

In true Santa Barbara fashion, they fought hard and picked momentum back up in the bottom of the seventh inning. Joseph Sandusky reached base and later scored after Addison Klepsch lined an RBI single into center field, trimming the deficit to one singular run. In the eighth inning, Brady Janusek doubled into left field before he was able to advance to third base on a passed ball. Joshua Woodworth lifted a sacrifice fly to center, bringing Janusek home to even the score at 5 - 5 and send the game into extra innings. 

With the Dodgers and the Foresters battling through an extra inning, the Dodgers scratched across a run in the top of the 10th to move ahead 6 - 5. The Foresters had one final answer. In the bottom of the tenth inning, Janusek began the inning as the placed runner on second base and quickly stole third. Wylan Nelson worked a walk before Joshua Woodworth delivered a clutch RBI double to tie the game 6 - 6. After the Dodgers intentionally walked Nick Salmon to load all three bases, Nate Rivera, serving as the Foresters catcher on a short contract, calmly worked a four-pitch walk to force home the winning run and help accomplish the nineteenth win of the 2026 season. Rivera completes Santa Barbara's dramatic 7 - 6 walk-off victory. 

The Santa Barbara Foresters once again showed why they remain one of the toughest teams to put away, overcoming late adversity behind a good outing for the pitching staff alongside a win coming from an uncommon, pressure-filled finish for the offense. Their persistence paid off in the 10th, where patience at the plate and good eyes in the batter's box capped a memorable evening at Eddie Mathews Field just one day after the Fourth of July. 

Tomorrow evening's game on July 6th against the Conejo Oaks has been canceled; however, catch your 2026 Santa Barbara Foresters playing in Compton, California, versus the MLB Academy Barons at 6:05 PM on Tuesday, July 7th. Also, catch the Foresters games live on our YouTube Channel.  

As always, Ster it up!