NEWPORT, R.I. - Junior Daniel Kehew (Portsmouth, R.I.) struck out seven, allowed only two baserunners via walks, and no-hit Wentworth to help Salve Regina end its seven-game losing skid with a 4-0 victory over the Leopards.
Daniel Kehew threw the third
complete game no-hitter in Seahawks history. Salve Regina athletics photo |
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!"