Print edition: 
We're deep into the 15-day NBC World Series, often the time coaches look at their pitching staff and look for any volunteer with an arm.
Not Bill Pintard. When the manager of the Santa Barbara (Calif.) Foresters makes pitching plans, he is dealing from strength. The Foresters possess plenty of starters for the rest of the week and their top relievers took Tuesday off.
"We're not depleted by any stretch," Pintard said. "We're in good shape."
Pintard will wait on the opponent before he decides on a starter for tonight's quarterfinal. His options include Jesse Meaux and lefty Chris Joyce. Wichita State's Tim Kelley, who pitched Sunday, is available later in the week after striking out eight in five innings against Derby.
Meaux went six innings and allowed two hits against League City (Texas) on Thursday. Joyce allowed two hits over four innings a week ago against Casa Grande (Ariz.).
Reliever Ian McCarthy, from Oklahoma State, struck out five batters in two innings to close out Tuesday's win over Sedalia (Mo.).
That performance gave closer Cody Martin and setup man Hoby Milner a break. Both are well-rested for the stretch. Martin has five strikeouts in two innings in the tournament. Milner has thrown 5 2/3 innings without allowing an earned run.
Bears all over — The Sedalia (Mo.) Bombers rely on Missouri State to fill the roster. Six Bears are listed, including starters Travis McComack and Luke Voit.
MSU pitchers Blake Barber and Seth Swafford, a transfer from Jefferson (Mo.) College, picked up two wins for the Bombers early in the NBC.
One Bear listed on the roster is now a former Bear. Lefty Mike Kickham, who did not pitch in the NBC, signed with San Francisco on Tuesday. The Giants picked Kickham, a draft-eligible sophomore, in the sixth round. He went 4-9 with a 5.25 ERA for the Bears last spring, numbers that didn't explain his potential. Kickham struck out 103 in 96 innings.
His brother Dan, a right-handed reliever, signed with the Bears and pitched for the Bombers.
Put those back — The Bombers and Foresters aren't qualified to work with the grounds crew at Lawrence-Dumont.
In the bottom of the first, players from both teams removed the Credit Union of America on-deck circles from in front of their dugouts. A light sprinkle made them concerned about players slipping on the mats.
That move prompted a quick response from tournament director Jerry Taylor. By the next inning, the advertisements were back in place. Taylor and crew dried off the mats with towels.
In the fourth inning, the Foresters bullpen appropriated Budweiser beach umbrellas from the tables down the third-base line.
The NBC officials let that one pass for a few innings.
I know you — Santa Barbara starter Sam Stafford and Sedalia starter Zack Hardoin were high school teammates at Klein Collins in Spring, Texas.
Now they face off in the Big 12 — Stafford at Texas and Hardoin for Missouri.
"I don't think he was as sharp as he normally is," Stafford said. "I don't think he's thrown in about a month. He's got a great breaking ball, and normally he has better control."
In memory — Pintard presented the Eric Pintard Most Inspirational Player Award to Jake Marasco, who played for the Valley Center Diamond Dawgs. Marasco, from Maize, lost his mother to a heart attack last spring while he played at Kansas. Eric Pintard, a former Foresters player and Bill Pintard's son, helped start Santa Barbara's Hugs for Cubs program to help children with cancer. He died from the disease in 2004.
