NEWPORT, R.I. - Junior Daniel Kehew (Portsmouth, R.I.) struck out seven, allowed only two baserunners via walks, and no-hit Wentworth Institute of Technology to help Salve Regina University baseball end its seven-game losing skid with a 4-0 victory over the Leopards.
Kehew issued a 1st-inning base-on-balls to Wentworth sophomore infielder Jon Spitz (Hanover, Mass.), on a borderline 3-2 pitch. After that, the only other Leopard baserunner to reach came in the 7th (also on a 3-2 pitch), while the 6'4" right-hander, who also plays football as an offensive lineman for the Seahawks, finished his no-hit gem with a grounder to shortstop Daniel Donohue(Westbury, N.Y.).
"We needed this," said Seahawk head coach Steve Cirella. Cirella's pitching corps had allowed double-digit runs in each of the last six games during a seven-game losing streak. Only one Kehew offering was sent out of the infield, a 6th-inning flyout to leftfielder Matt Capone (East Providence, R.I.) by Leopard junior Ryan Delgado (Wareham, Mass.).
Kehew joins Brandon Bursie '11 and Davin Sirpenski '07 as the only Seahawk baseball pitchers to throw complete-game no-hitters. Bursie's came last season at Curry College, in the second game of a doubleheader on April 10, 2011. Kehew's battery-mate, Dominic Di Sano (Central Falls, R.I.), caught the Bursie no-hitter. Sirpenski also threw his no-no in the back-end of a conference twinbill when he beat Anna Maria College on April 7, 2004. Sirpenski also took part in a combined no-hitter when the Seahawks blanked Nichols College, 4-0, in the opener of a conference doubleheader in Dudley, Mass., on April 29, 2007. Matt Palmisano started and was relieved by Nicholas Zambrotta in the 4th while Sirpenski closed the game in the 7th.
Salve Regina reached Leopard lefty starter Alex Wong (Lewiston, Maine) for a run in the 4th. Capone had a one-out single to right center, advanced to third on a groundout by Di Sano, before scoring on a single to right from second baseman Joe Haley (No. Kingstown, R.I.).
Senior infielder Nicholas Politelli (Warwick, R.I.) led off the Seahawk 6th with a single and scored on Capone's double. Di Sano sacrificed Capone to third. After senior Byron Reding(Darien, Conn.) reached on a hit-by-pitch and then stole second, designated hitter Stephen Crawford (Barrington, R.I.) lifted a pop up to short right field that ticked off Delgado's glove as he fought with the sun for a two-run error.
Capone finished with two hits, two runs, and an RBI in the opener.
Kehew was aware of his masterpiece. "I kind of knew what was going on," said Kehew. "Everyone was avoiding the topic, but as I was sitting on the bench each inning I imagined what I would do going out there, and hoping to make a perfect pitch each pitch and I got lucky."
Game Two starter, Kyle Pheland (No. Scituate, R.I.), warming up in the Seahawk bullpen, said to Kehew, "Thanks alot!" Kehew jokingly replied, "Who knows, you could throw a perfect game!"