Missed opportunities offensively were too much for the Foresters to overcome in a 4-1 loss to Conejo Oaks on Friday.
The Foresters created plenty of traffic on the basepaths, outhitting the Oaks five to four and racking up eight walks, but the much-needed rally never materialized.
The Oaks opened the scoring with two runs in the top of the third inning. A one-out walk by Jax Gimenez was followed by an Ethan Gonzalez double that gave the Oaks a 1-0 lead. Later in the inning, Gonzalez came around to score on a passed ball increasing the Oaks’ lead to 2-0.
The Foresters’ offense found life in the bottom of the third inning. A pair of walks and a wild pitch moved runners into scoring position and a single by Addison Klepsch brought Coleman Ryan home, cutting the Oaks’ lead to 2-1.
The top of the fourth inning was not kind to the Foresters as the Oaks pushed across two more runs on two hits and a walk extending their lead to 4-1.
The rest of the game featured pitching dominance as Foresters relief pitcher Ka’imi Kahaleka settled in striking out five in his five innings on the mound. Hyneman came in for one scoreless inning to finish the ball game.
With the loss the Foresters drop to 11-4 overall this season. They will now take on the rival SLO Blues twice over the weekend beginning with a 4 p.m. start at Sinsheimer Park in San Luis Obispo on Saturday. The two teams will play again at Eddie Mathews field on Sunday beginning at 2 p.m.
