With their 6-0 win in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, Louisiana College secured their first series win over #11 Concordia (Texas) in program history. Despite the significance of the team win, the effort of Deauton Delgado on the mound was even more impressive as he threw just the second no-hitter in the NCAA era to secure the Wildcats win.
"I had a good feel for both my two and four-seam fastballs, and the slider, those really worked the best today," Delgado said. "I was feeling alright in the bull pen before the game so I felt like I was going to give us a shot today."
Delgado surrendered a walk to the first batter of the game, one of three on the day, but got out of the inning with no damage. He would get the Tornado in order in the second and third, give up a 2-out walk in the fourth, but get a strikeout to end the inning. The last base runner to reach for CTX would come in the fifth on a hit batter and Delgado would get the next seven batters out in a row to end the game and complete the rare feat.
Through four and a half innings it seemed as if neither team would find the scoreboard as Delgado was facing off with four-time ASC Pitcher of the Week Matthew Williams for Concordia. He entered the game with 23 consecutive innings pitched without surrendering a run and had pushed that to 27 before the Wildcats would break through in the bottom of the fifth.
"My life motto is there ain't a bull that can't be rode, and there ain't a cowboy that can't be throwed," Delgado said. "Knowing I was going up against Williams was a challenge I was ready to face it. He's one of the best pitchers in our conference so it's always fun going out against the other team's best. It raises your competition level."
After four scoreless innings an error in left allowed Ashton Martin to reach second to start the inning. A sacrifice bunt moved him to third and put him in position to score on a wild pitch during the eventual walk to Christian Vandergrift. That walk would prove to be even more costly as the next batter, Keelyn Johnson, blasted his second home run of the year to put the Wildcats up 3-0.
Delgado would help his own cause an inning later with an RBI double to center to make it 4-0 and a pair of RBI singles from Martin and Vandergrift later in the frame made it a 6-0 LC lead after six.
Delgado would cruise through the final three outs with a fly ball to left, a chopper to first, and a shallow fly ball to right. He would be mobbed by his teammates between the mound and first base and then handed the ball from right fielder Christian Vandergrift, who recorded the final out.
"When Vandy caught it I just went into an out of body type thing," Delgado said. "Just seeing all my teammates coming to congratulate me was just an awesome moment."
The Wildcats would earn the sweep over Concordia in the second game of the doubleheader with a 4-3 win, their second straight ASC sweep and 13thwin in a row, extending the new record long winning streak. Stay connected to Louisiana College baseball by following @LC_bsb on Twitter. For general athletics news follow @LC_Wildcats on Twitter or like Louisiana College Wildcats on Facebook.