With his breaking balls baffling opposing hitters and fastballs lighting up the gun, Foresters ace Connor Mayes seemed to have everything working for him on Tuesday evening at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.
A thoroughly dominant performance from Mayes combined with some early run support and Santa Barbara was well on its way during a 5-1 home-opening victory over the Ventura Halos.
“It was awesome to open up with a win at home, and we’re starting to get that feeling as a team,” Mayes said. “I felt really good today, knowing that any pitch in my arsenal was working for me.”
The Austin, Texas native shut out the Halos over six innings, allowing just one hit and striking out eight. After surrendering a single in the first inning, he retired 16 consecutive batters on his way to victory.
“We pitched really well and Connor had a great performance today,” commented Foresters head coach Bill Pintard. “He’s improved every outing and had excellent fastball command.”
Santa Barbara (5-4 overall, 3-4 CCL) was led at the plate by Connor McManigal, who went 3 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI. Also making notable contributions were Colby Barrick and Kyle Isbel, who combined for four hits and two runs batted in.
“Today, we pieced together a couple of hits and had a lot of quality at bats,” said Barrick. “The more quality plate appearances we put together, the more things are going to fall our way.”
In the second, the ’Sters offense got rolling when Bryndan Arredondo doubled to left field. The catcher eventually scored on a single from McManigal. Later in the inning, Barrick smacked an RBI double to score McManigal and Wes Ghan-Gibson.
Santa Barbara extended its lead in the fifth when Reagan Todd hit a bases loaded fly ball to right field. This sacrifice fly allowed Trevor Abrams to score and when Ventura’s relay throw was miscued, Steven Coe hastily made it home for a 5-0 advantage.
When asked about getting an early lead, Mayes responded: “It’s great as a pitcher because you can attack while staying a lot more relaxed. This allowed me to throw lots of strikes and put it on cruise control.”
The Halos (6-3 overall, 4-3 CCL) scored their only run in the top of the eighth after Foresters reliever Sean Chandler walked two consecutive batters. With two runners on, Joseph Moran capitalized with an RBI single which allowed Mike Volaski to score.
Overall, Santa Barbara had 11 hits during the contest, marking the third time this season that they have tallied a double digit hit total. They also carried an assertive approach to baserunning throughout, with three steals and multiple hit-and-run opportunities.
“This is our home field and we feel really comfortable here,” added coach Pintard. “Today, we played aggressive on the bases and had some quality hitting performances.”
The Foresters will look for their third consecutive victory tonight against the Halos at Ventura College. Santa Barbara returns home for the series conclusion on Thursday evening at 5:05 p.m.
— Noozhawk sports reporter Blake DeVine can be reached at bdevine@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.