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| DePauw pitcher Michael Vallone (DePauw file photo) |
Springfield, Ohio - DePauw pitcher Michael Vallone faced the minimum number of hitters and tossed a no-hitter in the Tigers' 8-0 game-two win at Wittenberg which capped a doubleheader sweep following a 4-2 victory in the opener. DePauw moved to 10-10 overall and 3-3 in the North Coast Athletic Conference West Division, while Wittenberg dropped to 15-5 overall and 4-2 in the NCAC.
Vallone allowed just one Wittenberg batter to reach in the third on a hit by pitch, but the threat ended when the Tigers turned a double play on the next batter. The no-hitter was the first for DePauw since Mark Boeckel and Adam Czerwinski combined for a five-inning gem against Indiana-Northwest on March 4, 2000. The last DePauw pitcher to toss a solo no-hitter and pitch at least seven innings was Gregg Notestine when he did so against Purdue on April 22, 1980.
All eight of the DePauw runs came on five homers as DePauw scored three each in the first and third innings along with single runs in the fourth and seventh.
Cameron Macon's three-run homer in the first put the Tigers on the board before Kyle Callahan led off the third with a homer, Charlie Patrick followed with a walk and Nick Nelson clubbed a two-run shot. Patrick's solo homer in the fourth and Joe Fitzgerald's solo blast in the seventh rounded out the scoring.
Callahan, Patrick and Macon each had two of DePauw's 11 hits.
Vallone improved to 2-1, while Michael Osmond dropped to 4-1.
In the opener, DePauw took a 1-0 lead in the second as Kyle Boyer led off with a double, moved to third on TJ Carney-DeBord's sacrifice bunt and scored on Trey Shaw's single. Fitzgerald led off the fourth with a single, moved to third on Carney-DeBord's single and scored when Evan Barnes doubled.
DePauw pushed its lead to 4-0 in the fifth as Patrick reached on an error and moved to second on Nelson's bunt single. Macon's sacrifice bunt advanced each one base and Fitzgerald followed with a two-run single.
The hosts got on the board in the sixth as Tanner Boros led off with a single and moved to second on a balk. After Jack Hollinshead was hit by a pitch, Jack Siefert delivered a two-out run-scoring single. Gabe Stacy led off the Wittenberg seventh with a single and Ryan Probst drew a bases on balls. Chase Whisner loaded the bases with a walk and Connor O'Malley made it 4-2 with a grounder that plated Stacy. The Tigers sealed the win as Wittenberg grounded out to first to end the contest.
Shaw and Fitzgerald each had two of Wittenberg's nine hits, while Boros and Stacy each collected two of Wittenberg's six.
Joe Runnells improved to 3-3, while EJ White collected his first save. Rusty Hayhurst dropped to 2-1.
The two teams square off on Saturday in a 1 p.m. game at Walker Field.