WICHITA, Kan - The Santa Barbara, CA Foresters claimed the 2020 NBC World Series powered by Evergy title and its eighth NBC championship in franchise history f at Eck Stadium, defeating the Cheney, KS Diamond Dawgs 12-3.&nbsp;Santa Barbara’s four wins mark the first time the tournament champion had four wins. The Foresters’ perfect fielding percentage is also the first time in NBC World Series history where a team playing more than three games has had a 1.000 defensive mark.&nbsp;Sean Johnson (Ole Miss) earned tournament MVP honors, earning a win, save in six innings pitched throughout the tournament. Santa Barbara had five players record a multi-hit game, with Sean McLain going 3-for-3 with three runs and an RBI.&nbsp;The Foresters immediately hit the ground running, with Jace Jung giving Santa Barbara a 2-0 lead following a leadoff single by Matt McLain in the top of the first inning. A wild pitch added an insurance run later in the inning and extended the Foresters’ lead to three runs.&nbsp;Hunter Cullen hit a solo home run in the top of the fourth inning to extend the Foresters’ lead, with Christian Encarnacion coming up with an RBI single later in the inning to make it a 5-0 Santa Barbara advantage. McLain drove in another run for the Foresters in the top of the fifth inning, hitting a two-out RBI single to put the Foresters ahead by six runs. Matthew McLain came up in the clutch in the following at-bat, hitting a two-run home run to give Santa Barbara an 8-0 lead.&nbsp;The Foresters scored for the third straight inning in the top of the sixth, tacking on two more runs with an RBI single and scoring off a fielding error to move ahead 10-0. Texas Tech’s Jace Jung drove in the game’s 11th run with a sacrifice fly to left field in the top of the seventh inning, giving the Foresters its fourth straight inning with a run. A 1-3 putout allowed a second runner to score in the top of the seventh, putting the Foresters ahead by 12 runs.&nbsp;Caleb Farmer helped Cheney avoid the shutout in the top of the ninth inning, hitting a three-run home run to cut the deficit to single digits. Grant Cohen&nbsp;Belmont Media Relations Graduate Assistant<a href="tel:316-239-5213">316-239-5213</a> <a href="mailto:gcohen32@gmail.com" target="_blank">gcohen32@gmail.com</a>

Santa Barbara wins NBC World Series