The Foresters suffered their first loss of the season on Thursday afternoon but quickly rebounded and shut out the Neptune Beach Pearl to gain a split of California Collegiate League doubleheader at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.
John Holland hit a two-out, two-run double to break a scoreless game in the seventh inning and the Foresters added three more runs in the eighth for a 5-0 shutout in the nightcap. Rice University’s Willy Amador made his Foresters debut and threw seven scoreless innings to pick up the win.
In the opener, the Pearl took advantage of 13 walks and hit a pair of two-run homers to hand the Foresters a 7-4 defeat.
The doubleheader was played due to the rare rainout on Tuesday. The Foresters are now 8-1 overall and 3-1 in the CCL.
Ryan Chandler continued his exciting play. He stole three bases on Thursday and scored the third run in the second game. In the eighth, he singled, stole second and third and came on a wild pitch, evading the catcher’s tag with a perfect slide.
The Foresters’ fourth run brought the dugout to its feet. Troy Conyers was on first with two outs when Kaleb Denny drove a ball to right-center. Conyers never stopped and chugged toward third. The throw from the outfield hit the big first baseman on the foot and he scored when the ball went into the Foresters’ dugout. Conyers’ teammates poured out to welcome the big man and praise his hustle. Denny scored the Foresters’ final run on a triple by Lex Kaplan.
Amador struck out six and allowed four hits in his first outing. Pearl starter Johnathon Tripp blanked the Foresters until Holland drove a ball over the centerfielder’s head to score Conyers and Denny in the seventh.
The Foresters outhit the Pearl 9-5 in the opener, but the walks and the home runs by Matt Miller and Dane Myers were too much to overcome. The Pearl hit both homers off starter Tylor Megill.
Santa Barbara scored a pair of runs in the sixth and two in the ninth.
