Avon, Ohio – Junior Eric Knight threw a no-hitter in game one and added four hits, six RBI's and three doubles on the day to lead the Oberlin College baseball team past D'Youville College by the scores of 3-0 and 10-2 on Sunday afternoon at All-Pro Freight Stadium. The nightcap was called with one out in the bottom of the fifth due to rain.
Knight was simply dominant on the mound as he struck out a career-high 10 hitters and induced 10 ground ball outs. Of his 82 pitches, 57 went for strikes. He walked just one hitter and had one error behind him in the field. He becomes the first Oberlin pitcher to throw a no-hitter since Jack Dunn, who did it on May 5, 2007 in 10-0 win against Lake Erie College.
A native of Scottsdale, Arizona, Knight also helped his own cause at the plate going 2-for-3 with two RBI's in game one. He had a run-producing single in the first that scored Robin Witjes, who also had two hits in the game.
It remained 1-0 until the sixth as D'Youville starter Brent Gibbs was able to keep the Yeomen bats at bay. He finished with nine punch outs, while allowing just five hits.
However, the Yeomen were finally able to get to Gibbs in the sixth as Sean Cohen followed a double from Witjes with a single to center field to score the speedy center fielder. After a passed ball that allowed Cohen to move into scoring position, Knight then came through with a ground-rule double that hopped over the wall in left field.
With the no-hitter on the line in the seventh, Knight was as cool as can be as he struck out the side in order to complete the masterpiece.
In game two the Yeomen jumped on the Spartans early with three runs in the first and two in the second. The big hit in the sequence came courtesy of Knight who had a two-run down the left field line in the second inning.
Senior Jason James earned the win as he worked four innings, fanning six, while allowing five hits and two earned runs. He threw 71 pitches, 50 of which went for strikes as he did not a walk a batter.
After the hot start Oberlin returned to the scoring column in the fourth inning, plating three runs in the inning. A pair of back-to-back doubles by Mike McDonald and Knight scored the first two and rookie Andrew Hutson would later follow with his first-career hit and RBI on a single to center.
Before the rain came, the Yeomen would tack on two more in the bottom fifth thanks to a ground rule double off of the bat of Kevin Verne and an RBI single from Mattie Dedoes.
Verne, McDonald and Knight all had two hits in the game. Verne also scored four times.
The Yeomen will now rest up in preparation for their annual Spring Break Trip to Phoenix, Arizona where they will play 12 games in six days. Their first contest out west will be against Gustavus Adolphus at 4 p.m. EST on March 24.