By Aidan O’Neill
On Tuesday evening in Thousand Oaks, the Foresters and Oaks clashed to determine who would lead the CCL South, where the Foresters won 8-6 in an extra inning ballgame.
Conejo started off strong, pouring in 3 runs in the second inning after a wild pitch, that scored a run, and a 2 RBI single. Oaks’ starting pitcher Cole Fisher was brilliant, throwing 5 innings of one-hit baseball while only allowing a run.
Peyton Gubler got the ball for the Foresters, settling in after the early damage and giving the ’Sters a chance to win. He finished with 5 IP, 3 ER, 0 BB, and 4 K’s.
The 3-0 stayed the same until the 5th inning where the Foresters began to gain momentum. Led by a leadoff hit-by-pitch by Will Rogers, where he then stole a base, catcher Ryan Tayman knocked Rogers in with an RBI single. This began the attack.
The Foresters kept going in the 6th inning, continuing to showcase their speed and brilliant baserunning. Leadoff hitter Kaden Petersen reached via single, advanced to second on a balk, and stole third where an overthrow allowed him to score. Jonah Sebring followed suit by recording a single and two stolen bases, setting up “Mr. Clutch”, aka Will Rogers once again. He knocked in Sebring with a single. The score was 3-2.
There were 0’s all around for the Foresters pitching staff as the sun began to set, as Diego Ramos and Ty Zahradnik kept the good vibes in Santa Barbara’s dugout. Will Rogers entered in to pitch in the 7th inning and continued to affect the game on both sides of the ball.
Fast forward to the 8th inning, Will Rogers came up to back once again in a big moment and he delivered. An RBI double blistered into the gap that scored Nick Oakley, giving the Foresters their fourth straight run and the lead.
In the bottom of the 8th, the Oaks began to threaten the slim deficit. After getting two runners on with no outs, George Baker laid down a perfect bunt as Daniel Patterson rushed in at third base, attempting to make an acrobatic throw where he ultimately threw off-line, scoring two runs and giving Conejo an unexpected 5-4 lead.
The Sters, however, have demonstrated their resilience all season long. Tonight was no different.
Patterson made up for his error with a bloop single to start the 9th and Tayman followed with a walk. Kaden Petersen recorded a sac fly and the ’Sters threat ended. The game was tied 5-5. Will Rogers kept his cool in the bottom half and the game was headed to extra innings for the first time this season.
With a “ghost runner” starting on second, Jonah Sebring crushed an RBI double down the line, beginning the Foresters 3 run inning, etched by a TJ Pompey moonshot, his first home run of the season.
Rogers finished off his third inning in relief to secure the Foresters their third straight win over the Oaks. They now have a 1.5 game lead in the CCL South.
The action continues tomorrow in Pasadena, as the Foresters take on the Saints of Arroyo Seco at 6:05 pm PST. Continue to follow us on Youtube @SantaBarbaraForesters19 for all of the action.
