THOUSAND OAKS — Where was all that offense on Friday?
A day after throwing a combined no-hitter but still being beaten 2-1, the Santa Barbara Foresters went down to Thousand Oaks and throttled the Conejo Oaks, 14-1 on Saturday.
“We just played very aggressive and very hungry and it was great to see, because yesterday we pitched a no-hitter and lost even though we didn’t give up an earned run. That’s a tough deal,” said manager Bill Pintard.
The Oaks (11-18, 8-15 CCL) committed five errors, and the first five Foresters runs were unearned. Santa Barbara’s Michael Ratterree led the offense by driving in a pair of runs on three hits. Jeff McVaney started at left field and had an RBI triple in the fifth inning. He came in and pitched a scoreless ninth as well.
While the Foresters offense stole the show, the most significant performances came on the mound. With the roster hit hard by injuries, UCSB’s Jesse Meaux returned to the team after a brief stint in the Cape Cod Leagues and turned in a solid five-inning start, giving up one run on four hits. Vinnie St. John came on in relief and showed continued improvement on his curveball and Tim Kelley made his first appearance in a couple of weeks, looking as strong as ever.
“He was better tonight than he was in his last two starts,” said Pintard of Kelley, a starter who tested his injured arm by pitching the seventh, striking out two in a 1-2-3 frame.
Bryce Uhrig struck out two in the eight and McVaney did the same in the ninth. Santa Barbara (18-7, 12-5 CCL) host the rubber match of the series at Pershing Park on Sunday at 4:30 p.m.
