College update: Sigman, Santa Barbara win NBC World Series

The following are updates on local athletes at the collegiate level.

Jackson Sigman (Glendale Community College, 2014) Santa Barbara Foresters: For the sixth time in the history of one of the most illustrious franchises in collegiate baseball, the Foresters won the National Baseball Congress World Series.

Santa Barbara defeated the Hays Larks, 6-2, in the championship game on Saturday night in Wichita, Kan. Technically, it was the second win of the day for the Foresters, who got three innings from Sigman in a 7-6 12-inning victory over the San Diego Force in a game with a scheduled start time of 9:30 p.m. Friday that ended after midnight Saturday.

Sigman, who plays for West Virginia, did not take the hill in the championship game, as he had pitched his longest outing of the summer roughly 20 hours earlier.

In the win against the Force, Sigman threw three innings, giving up two runs on two hits and one walk with five strikeouts. Sigman came on in the ninth and retired the side in order and was in the same spectacular form that he’s been in all summer. Sigman retired the first nine batters he faced in order before returning to the mound in the top of the 12th. But disaster struck, as Sigman gave up a single, a double and an intentional walk along with three wild pitches without recording an out. Santa Barbara rebounded with three runs in the 12th to win it.

The Foresters went a perfect 6-0 in the NBC World Series, with Sigman making three appearances.

All told, he threw 4 1/3 innings, allowing the aforementioned two runs for a 4.15 earned-run average. He notched seven strikeouts with just one walk and two hits allowed and one save.

For the summer, in which Santa Barbara also won the California Collegiate League championship, Sigman was simply outstanding. Over 14 appearances and 17 innings, he put together a 1.58 ERA with just nine hits allowed and a save. His most astounding statistic, however, was that he struck out 27 batters in just 17 innings with only one walk. Sigman was also an All-CCL selection.

Brian Gadsby (Crescenta Valley High, 2015) Mankato MoonDogs pitcher: Following his first season at UCLA, Gadsby completed his second collegiate league season on Monday night when the MoonDogs lost, 5-1, to the Eau Claire Express in the first round of the Northwoods League playoffs.

Gadsby, who pitched in Washington state last summer, closed the game and the season with three innings of relief in which he allowed a run in the ninth inning, four hits overall, no walks and struck out three.

For the summer, in which Mankato went 46-27, Gadsby was terrific to the tune of 44 2/3 innings in 21 appearances with a 2.42 earned-run average. The former two-time All-Area Baseball Player of the Year and James H. Jenkins Glendale News-Press Boys’ Athlete of the Year had 36 strikeouts and 20 walks.

Kyle Murray (Crescenta Valley High, 2012) Academy Barons pitcher: Formerly a player for Cal State Fullerton, Murray likely grabbed some notice with a sterling summer for the Academy Barons of the California Collegiate League.

Murray was an All-California Collegiate League selection, going 4-0 with 11 appearances and seven starts. He threw 41-plus innings with a 2.37 earned-run average and 36 strikeouts to 12 walks.

Murray ended the season with three consecutive quality starts, going six inning in each of his last three games with a combined three earned runs allowed.

The Barons finished 29-15.

Joe Torres (Crescenta Valley High, 2014) Conejo Oaks pitcher: Torres, following a spring in which he as an All-Western State Conference selection at Glendale Community College, began the summer phenomenally, struggled during the dog days and was excellent coming to the finish.

All together, playing for the California Collegiate League’s Conejo Oaks, Torres went 5-1 with a 3.60 ERA with 14 appearances (four starts) for 35 innings. He had one save, to go along with 23 strikeouts and 14 walks.

Torres’ start to the summer saw him throw three straight scoreless appearances across eight combined innings. During one span in July, however, he gave up multiple runs in four consecutive appearances that totaled just seven innings with 12 runs allowed. But over his last three appearances, Torres did not allow a run, lowering his ERA from 4.07 to 3.60. Torres’ last appearances totaled four innings in which he allowed just two hits, no walks, no runs and tallied four strikeouts.

Conejo finished 26-18, losing, 5-0, to the California Collegiate League champions, the Santa Barbara Foresters, in the CCL playoffs to end their season July 30 at the Major League Baseball Urban Youth Academy.