Foresters Extend Their Winning Streak to Four Games With 12-5 Victory Over Conejo Oaks

After a slow start offensively early this season, the Santa Barbara Foresters are now thriving at the plate and appear poised to embark on another summer of dominance in the California Collegiate League.

A 12-5 win over Conejo Oaks on Tuesday extended the Foresters winning streak to four games and improved their record to 6-2 overall this season.

“I just think guys when they get here sometimes, they’ve read about the Foresters and they press a little bit,” said Foresters manager Bill Pintard. “Now they’re loose, they’re playing ball and they’re having fun.”

Nolan Souza, Jackson Freeman, and Jack Holman spearheaded the Foresters offense with two hits apiece and combined for eight runs batted in. The 12 runs tied the most runs scored in a single game for the Foresters this season. 

Vic Arreola got the start for Santa Barbara and surrendered four runs in his five innings on the mound. Ty Zahradnik came on in relief and pitched three scoreless innings, striking out four in the process.

“It was my fastball mainly because I’ve got a lot of arm side run to my fastball and I feel like if I can throw that inside to right-handed batters it is an unhittable pitch unless it’s like really good hitters,” said Zahradnik of his dominance on the mound Coneo Oaks. “They were really good hitters today, some of them got some barrels on me and I was ind of impressed, but it was the {fastball} and the slider combating that. I feel like if I can throw those pitches it’s hard to get hits off me.”

After Conejo Oaks tied the score at 4-4 with two runs in the top of the fifth inning, the Foresters exploded for four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning as all nine batters came to the plate in the inning.

Jonah Sebring singled up the middle to lead off the inning and scored on Nolan Souza’s single to left field. Jack Holman followed with a one-out single to left fied that scored T.J. Pompey.

Holman came home on a fielder’s choice by Jack Freeman to give the Foresters an 8-4 lead.

Zahradnik entered the game to open the top of the sixth and provided the shutdown performance that secured the game for Santa Barbara.

“I thought {Zahradnik}, he was good and he’s throwing strikes. He has had command/control problems in the past,” Pintard said. “If we get that guy throwing strikes we’re looking good.”

The Foresters added on four more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 12-4 lead. The inning was highlighted by a two-run double by Holman. 

The Foresters will play the Conejo Oaks again in their next game on Thursday, beginning at 4:30 p.m.