Abbey, Antelope Valley Hand Palmdale Key League Loss, 8-3

Under the circumstances, it didn’t seem fair.

Chris Abbey, Antelope Valley High’s hard-throwing right-handed pitcher, had just picked up the win in the Antelopes’ 8-3 Golden League victory over host Saugus on Tuesday, but he was trudging from the field with the team’s bat bag thrown over his shoulder.

“This is getting heavy,” Abbey said as he approached his teammates waiting for the bus.

“Don’t worry,” one of them shot back. “You can handle it. You’ve handled everything else today.”

Indeed, Abbey had.

He entered the game in relief of starter Raul McNaughton with two out in the first inning and gave up only three singles and two walks in 6 1/3 innings.

The win enabled Antelope Valley (11-9, 9-5 in league play) to keep pace with Palmdale (12-7, 9-5). The Antelopes will visit Palmdale on Friday in a regular-season finale that will decide the championship.

“You can’t say enough about what Chris has meant to this team,” Coach Ed t’Sas said. “He’s bailed us out of some really tough situations.”

Abbey (6-4) started shakily, then settled down to hand Saugus (12-9, 8-6) its second loss in a row and fourth in its past six games.

Abbey entered the game with two out and the bases loaded in the first inning and his team leading, 2-1. He walked John Lopata to force in the tying run and gave up a run-scoring single to Brian Worley before the inning ended.

He retired the next eight batters he faced before giving up an infield single to Mike Hogen with two out in the fourth and Antelope Valley leading, 7-3.

Abbey retired seven of the next nine batters--one reached base on an error and another walked--to record his third victory in the Antelopes’ past three games.

“I’m always there,” Abbey said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s the bottom of the first or the bottom of the seventh, I’m ready to pitch if they need me.”

Although Abbey had Saugus under control most of the game, center fielder Freddie Edwards and right fielder Von VanLeeuwen each made a fine defensive play. Edwards made a diving, backhanded catch of Worley’s liner to left-center for the second out of the fourth inning, and VanLeeuwen’s sliding grab of Justin Miller’s blooper to right ended the fifth.

Trailing, 3-2, after the first inning, Antelope Valley scored the decisive runs in the second.

VanLeeuwen and Edwards walked, the former scored on an error and Jack Cox singled in Edwards.