The Santa Barbara Foresters continued their winning ways thanks to a big night from Gavin Kash with a 9-7 victory over the Arroyo Seco Saints on Thursday at Pershing Park.

The Foresters (19-10) have now won five games in a row and currently sit in first place in the California Collegiate League.

Kash led the offense with a 3-for-4 night with a two-run home run, four total RBIs and two runs scored.

Both teams got off to a hot start, as the Foresters answered a solo homer from the Saints in the top of the first with an RBI single by Kash and a bases-loaded walk to take a 2-1 lead into the second inning.

After a scoreless second, Arroyo Seco tied it up at 2-2 in the top of the third. However, Kash responded with a two-run blast over the centerfield wall to recapture the lead at 4-2.

“People need to remember [Kash’s] name,” manager Bill Pintard said. “This kid can flat-out hit. He hits everything hard, even his outs. And he only strikes out about 11 percent of the time, a great number for a young hitter.”

Kash kept it rolling in the fourth, with an RBI sacrifice fly in the fourth inning to extend the lead to 5-2 for his fourth RBI of the night.

After the Saints brought a run home in the top of the fifth, Santa Barbara kept their foot on the pedal offensively with an RBI triple from Gianni Horvat and an RBI single off the bat of Miguel Santos to bring their lead to 7-3.

The Foresters wrapped up their scoring in the sixth inning after an RBI single by Tanner O’Tremba and a wild pitch made the score 9-3.

The Saints threatened a comeback in the late innings, scoring two runs in both the seventh and eighth innings to cut the Forester lead to 9-7, but Ian Churchill and Nick Proctor shut the door in the eighth and ninth innings to preserve the win.

Brandon Beckel (1-1) started the game for Santa Barbara, picking up the win after allowing three runs on four hits and striking out five.

“I thought it was Beckel’s best performance of the year, he had both breaking pitches going well,” Pintard said.

The Foresters will look to stay hot on Friday when they host the OC Riptide at 6 p.m. at Pershing Park.