Auburndale, Fla., March 14, 2017 – Sophomore starting pitcher Zack Kotin pitched seven hitless innings of shutout baseball for Washington University in St. Louis and nearly combined with senior Jake Mintz for the no-hitter before Centenary (N.J.) University was able to reach base on an infield single in the top of the ninth of the Bears 5-0 win at Lake Myrtle Field #5 in Auburndale, Fla. Tuesday morning.
WashU improved to 7-4 on the season while Centenary fell to 1-5 on the season. Kotin picked up his first win of the season as the Bears offense backed him with four runs in the bottom of the second to propel the victory.
Kotin threw seven innings without allowing a single hit or issuing a walk. He did however hit two batters while striking out five. Mintz entered the game in the eighth inning the same way Kotin began the first by hitting the first batter he faced. Mintz followed Kotin's lead and worked around the leadoff man reaching first as the duo combined for nine shutout innings and nine strikeouts.
In the bottom of the second inning, senior Christian Santos doubled down the left field line to get things started. Junior Conor O'Hara singled to advance Santos to third and WashU struck first when an error by the Cyclones pitcher allowed both runners to advance.
Sophomore Tyler Diamond plated O'Hara with a single to left field. Sophomore Auggie Mense knocked in Diamond with a single, after Diamond stole second base. Mense also stole second base which allowed him to score on a single up the middle by senior Austin Darmawan that put the Bears ahead 4-0.
The final run from the Bears came in third inning when O'Hara drilled a 1-1 pitch to deep center field that cleared the fence. It was O'Hara's first home run of the season and third of his career after connecting on two homers last season.
Kotin cruised through the Cyclones lineup facing 24 batters in seven innings. He recorded 12 straight outs from the second through sixth inning without allowing a base runner.
Mintz allowed the leadoff man in the both the eighth and ninth inning to reach base but utilized several swing and misses to escape danger. He totaled four strikeouts in two innings of work while maintaining the Bears 5-0 shutout victory.
The Bears totaled 10 hits as Mense, Browdy and O'Hara combined for seven. Mense led the team with a 3-for-4 day at the plate, while O'Hara was a perfect 2-for-2 on the day.
WashU continues its Florida Spring Break trip action tomorrow against Wheaton (Mass.) in Auburndale, Fla at 12:45 p.m. Be sure to stay up to date on all your Bears scores and awards by following @WashUBears on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.