By Sami Ogan (Photo by Lexi Brintle)
The Santa Barbara Foresters came up short on Friday afternoon, dropping a tightly contested game to the Conejo Oaks, 4-1. Despite several offensive opportunities and strong moments on the mound, the Foresters couldn’t overcome the mid-game scoring by the Oaks.
The game started as a pitching duel, with both teams going 3 up, 3 down in the first inning, the Oaks thanks to ‘Sters starter Aidan Keenan. The Foresters threatened early in the second after a leadoff single by Brenton Clark, but batters that followed left him stranded at second.
The Oaks brought heat in the top of the third to take the early lead. Keenan started with a strikeout, giving him five on the day, but then gave up a walk. That free pass cost the ‘Sters, as the next batter’s double brought home a run. Another walk followed, and shortly after, a wild pitch brought another Oak runner home to make the score 2-0 in favor of Conejo.
In the bottom of the third, the offense came alive after a pair of walks and a wild pitch moved runners into scoring position. An RBI single by Addison Klepsch brought Coleman Ryan home, cutting the Oaks’ lead in half.
This momentum was short-lived, however, as new pitcher Ka’imi Kahalekai came in in the top of the 4th. He was hit with a string of singles, and then the Oaks capitalized on a wild pitch to bring another 2 runs across to make the game 4-1.
The Foresters had multiple chances to make their comeback, but couldn’t execute. In the 5th and 6th innings, runners reached base via walks and singles, but the Oaks’ pitching managed to avoid any more runs, ending the 6th with a strikeout when the bases were loaded.
Santa Barbara’s pitching remained steady despite the runs by the Oaks. A total of 11 strikeouts by Aidan Keenan, Ka’imi Kahalekai, and closer Josh Hyneman kept the Oaks quiet in the final inning with an impressive double play and a final strikeout.
A 9th inning pitching change by the Oaks brought new hope to the Foresters. Easton Rulli started off with a walk which brought up Sawyer Farr, pinch hitting for Caleb Hoover. A double play retired the pair to bring up the ‘Sters final batter, Caden Miller, who closed the game with a fly out to center field. This loss makes their record 11-4.
A weekend pair of games versus the SLO Blues is ahead of us, where the Foresters aim to bounce back after today’s loss. Tune in live tomorrow, June 28th at 4:00 pm to watch the ‘Sters play at Sinsheimer Park and catch the team at home on Sunday, June 29th at Eddie Mathews Field against the SLO Blues with the first pitch at 2:00 pm.
