One of the craziest no-hitters you’ll ever see took place in the Virginia-William & Mary college baseball game on Wednesday night in Charlottesville, VA.
Virginia pitchers Bobby Nicholson, Blake Rohm, Grant Donahue, Riley Wilson, Mack Meyer, and Bennett Sousa combined to throw a six-pitcher no-hitter. However, they allowed three runs — two of which were earned runs — and William & Mary took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the 11th inning. William & Mary was able to get baserunners because of seven walks issued by Virginia pitching, as well as a hit by pitch and four errors from the Cavaliers’ defense.
Virginia trailed 3-2 with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 11th, and it appeared they had lost when Justin Novak hit a routine chopper to William & Mary third baseman Patrick Ryan. However, Ryan’s throw short-hopped first baseman Colin Lipke, and Lipke was unable to come up with the dig. This allowed two Virginia baserunners to score and give the Cavaliers a wacky 4-3 walk-off victory.
Here is how it all ended… One of the wildest games you will ever see pic.twitter.com/5e9p6qQluC
— Virginia Baseball (@UVABaseball) March 1, 2018
Six-pitcher no hitter, 11th inning rally walkoff #Wahoowa @UVABaseball ?⚔️?⚾️ pic.twitter.com/ko8aRRY5Do
— Matt Riley – UVa (@MattRileyPhoto) March 1, 2018
It would’ve certainly been frustrating for Virginia to lose a game in which they threw 11 no-hit innings, but they were able to pull out the victory in the end (even if they got some help from the William & Mary defense).
It’s the first combined no-hitter in UVA history, and their first no-hitter since Nathan Kirby threw one (and struck out 18 batters) vs Pittsburgh in 2015.
[Photo Credit: Virginia Sports TV on YouTube]