Jon Abramson found out he would be making his second start of the season about an hour and a half before the Santa Barbara Foresters took on Team Vegas at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium on Wednesday. The University of San Francisco hurler, who hadn’t played for over a week and hadn’t started a game for over a month, struck out seven over four strong innings as the Foresters picked up a 4-1 comeback victory.
“He did really well. He hasn’t been out there for awhile, and for him to step up on an hour notice and throw strikes really good,” said manager Bill Pintard.
Abramson came into the start with just six strikeouts through 14 innings, but more than doubled his total against Team Vegas.
“Strikeouts have always been kind of random for me. I threw a little bit more pitches than I wanted to, but I think my stuff has gotten a little more lively, which is how I need it to be,” he said.
Team Vegas struck first, as Kris Bryant led off the fourth with a single and was later driven in on a single by Zack Quintana. Matthew Reckling took over for Abramson in the fifth and struck out the side, and the Foresters offense responded in the bottom half of the inning. The visitors’ starter was Kevin Gausman, a sixth-round draft pick by the Dodgers whose fastball was touching 97 miles per hour, but the Foresters got to him with three singles and three walks in the inning before he was replaced.
Shortstop Shane Kroker, in his first game back from injury, hit an RBI single off of Gausman that drove in Ryan Hawthorne for the equalizing run. The bases would then load up and Gausman walked Nick Melino to bring home Walker Moore and give the hosts the lead. Jeremy Rathjen followed with an RBI single off of reliever Samuel Lindsey to make it 3-1 Foresters.
Santa Barbara added another run in the sixth when Kroker hit a sacrifice fly to center field that drove in Michael Ratterree from third.
After Reckling pitched three hitless innings, Kylin Turnbull and Kiefer Nuncio came in for the eighth and ninth innings, respectively. Nuncio, who pitches for the University of Texas, struck out the side in order for the save.
The Foresters (21-7, 15-5 CCL) host the Conejo Oaks Thursday at 4 p.m. in the first game of the all-important Rawlings California Cup Tournament. The tournament winner receives an automatic bid to the National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, KS.
“There’s definitely a sense of urgency. We need to win this tournament, because nothing’s guaranteed in the league season. We just need to go out there and keep playing how we’ve been playing,” said Abramson.
