Stripling throws No-Hitter at Aztecs

On the day he was scheduled to graduate, senior pitcher Ross Stripling threw the 11th no-hitter in Texas A&M baseball history as the seventh-ranked Aggies defeated San Diego State 1-0 in front of 4,208 fans at Olsen Field at Blue Fell Park.

 

“I was able to get a lot of early outs in the first couple innings,” Stripling said. “They were hitting some balls hard, they were just right at guys. It ended up being the best pitching game of my life.”

Stripling baffled the Aztec hitters all afternoon, allowing only a fifth-inning walk while striking out seven during his 106-pitch outing.

“That’s the first no-hitter I’ve ever been a part of,” Texas A&M head coach Rob Childress said. “I told the team if it takes me another 22 years to see another one, I won’t be around to see it. It was just an amazing performance. The story of the game is Ross Stripling.”

It was the first no-hitter for a Texas A&M pitcher since Zach Jackson’s seven-inning no-hitter against TAMU-Corpus Christi on Feb. 14, 2004, and the first nine-inning no-hitter since Matt Blank accomplished the rarity against Texas-Pan American on Feb. 6, 1996.

The contest was billed as a marquee pitching match-up as Stripling matched wits with SDSU’s 6-foor-6 freshman fire-baller Michael Cederoth.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game,” Stripling added. “Their guy on the mound has been compared to Stephen Strasburg. He has a phenomenal arm. It would’ve been a great matchup had he been able to go deeper into the game.”

Texas A&M pushed across the lone run of the afternoon during the bottom of the second when Blake Allemand singled to bring home fellow freshman Chance Bolcerek, who had reached base on a throwing error.

The lone unearned run would be all that Cederoth (3-4) would allow as he left the game during the bottom of the fifth after being struck in the jaw with a line drive.

Allemand, who made his first career start at shortstop during the contest, was the day’s top offensive performer as he singled twice to go along with the second-inning RBI.

The series continues Sunday when the two teams return to the diamond for the finale, which is slated for a 12:05 p.m. first pitch. Texas A&M will send RHP Rafael Pineda (5-1, 2.61 ERA) to the mound to face SDSU right-hander Ryan Doran (3-4, 4.52).

Sunday’s game will be televised by Cox Sports TV.

 

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