Oaks Kick Off Second Half with 4–1 Win Over Indians

Oaks Kick Off Second Half with 4–1 Win Over Indians

By Micah Rodriguez

The Conejo Oaks opened the second half of the summer season with a 6–2 victory over the Santa Maria Indians at Pirate Park. Six different arms took the mound for the Oaks in a bullpen game, and they limited the Indians to seven hits and two runs.

Outfielder Dylan Jackson had the biggest swing of the day for the Oaks. Trailing 1–0 in the bottom of the third, Jackson crushed a three-run blast to left field, giving the Conejo club a lead they would not relinquish.

Will Kaczynski opened for the Oaks and dealt two scoreless innings in his first start since June 21. The right-hander only allowed one baserunner and struck out three. 

Following Kaczynski, the Oaks turned to Johnny Levelis. The right-hander, making his fifth appearance of the season but first in relief, fought through two innings, allowing one earned run while striking out two.

The Oaks trailed 1–0 heading into the bottom of the third inning. Leadoff man Owen Meli ripped a ground ball single up the middle with one out. The following batter, right fielder Tyler Antwine, was hit by a pitch, putting two runners on with nobody out. 

After Tyson Reis popped up, Jackson stepped up to the dish. On a 1-2 count, Jackson crushed a hanging breaking ball into the left field netting to give the Oaks a 3–1 lead. It was Jackson's fourth long ball of the summer, tying him for the California Collegiate League lead with four other players. 

The Oaks pushed another run across in the bottom of the fifth inning. Reis laced a one-out double off the base of the right field wall. One batter later, utility man Caden Stillwell knocked an RBI single to center field, plating Reis and making it a 4–1 game.

Right-hander Caden Sramek came out of the bullpen following Levelis. Sramek worked an efficient two innings, and in his seventh appearance of the summer, it was his first time not walking any batters. 

In the top of the seventh, Kyle Zahn came on and worked a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts. 

In the bottom of the seventh, the Oaks added another insurance run. Stillwell knocked a one-out single up the middle. Aiden Voyles then reached on an error, placing runners on the corners. 

Manning the hot corner, Nate Lopez lifted a sacrifice fly to left field, plating Stillwell and putting the Oaks ahead 5–1. 

Jame Latshaw took the mound for the Oaks in the top of the eighth and ran into some trouble. The right-hander worked around two hits and two walks to limit the damage to one run, walking off the field with the Oaks still leading 5–2.

The Oaks continued to chip away in the bottom of the eighth. Pinch hitter Grant Rodriguez led off the inning with a long at-bat that ended in a walk. The ensuing batter, Meli, smoked a line drive to left field. Antwine cashed in on the RBI opportunity with a single to left-center, scoring Rodriguez and pushing their lead back to four, 6–2.

The six Oaks players who took the bump combined to punch out 13 Indians while only walking four. 

Stillwell led the Oaks offensively, finishing 3-for-4 with an RBI. Meli was the only other Oaks player with multiple hits, ending the day 2-for-4. 

With the win, the Oaks move to 13–8 – two games up on the Academy Barons in the loss column for the third seed.

As the team looks to make a second-half push towards the Foresters and Riptide at the top of the Southern Division, Head Coach David Soliz assured his club it was go time. 

"If you deserve to play more, you're going to play more," Soliz remarked. "The summer is always about development, playing time, and [winning]."

With the playoffs a mere few weeks away, while development and playing time are still key, putting out the lineup that gives the club the best opportunity to win is essential.

"We're in a good spot now, but we'd always like to better our spot," Soliz continued. "We got through the first month of the season, now it's about getting into win mode."

The Oaks seek to continue their winning ways tomorrow in a matchup against the San Diego Bombers at Pirate Park. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.