By Jim Buckley: When is a no-hitter NOT a no-hitter? When the other team gets one hit . . . but that batter hit out of order—on a night with no umps! Regardless of the mishap, the Foresters’s hitters continued to pound, while pitchers continued to sparkle, combining for an 8-0 victory Saturday over the Inland Valley Pirates.
With backup catcher Ryan Wrobleski subbing in for the absent home-plate ump and former longtime Sters batboy Dylan “Crash” Davis handling the bases, the game got underway after a beautiful National Anthem sung by Bob and Patty Burnham. Their high notes were not the only ones for Santa Barbara, starting with Ben Abram’s sterling five innings of no-hit ball with 8 strikeouts. Max Flame, Peyton Cole, and Cooper Randall pitched the final four innings, striking out six more. The Pirates’ lone hit came in a wacky seventh when two batters hit out of order, followed by Spencer Rasmussen’s double to left, the only hit allowed all night by Foresters pitching.
Backing up this pitching performance was another great all-around offensive effort, led by Ethan Bates’s three-run homer in the second inning, the first round-tripper of the season for the ’Sters. Jashia Morrissey had a great game, with two hits, a run, an RBI, and a steal, along with the web gem of the night on a leaping grab in the third. Andrew Rachel reached base four times, with a single, a pair of walks, and a dropped third strike.
Add in error-free baseball for the third straight night and you’ve got the formula for a 3-0 start to the 2021 season. The more intense California Collegiate League play starts on Sunday as the Foresters travel to the MLB Academy to take on the Barons. Tune in to AM 1290 to catch all the action starting at 2 pm on Sunday, Father’s Day!
