Clarksville, Ark.-University of the Ozarks sophomore pitcher Todd Koch pitched a no-hitter in his first appearance of the 2007 season as the University of the Ozarks Eagles defeated Principia College (Ill.) 6-0 in the first game of Saturday's double-header.
<#IMAGE:1#>Only two Principia (0-2, 0-0) runners reached base, the first came in the third inning on a catcher’s interference call, and the second came in the seventh inning when Josh Reesman was hit by a pitch. It is only the second modern-day no-hitter in school history. The Eagles (2-2, 0-0) also accomplished the feat on February 7, 2006, when Chase Hale, Tyler Gideon and Kyle Hudson blanked Mid-America Christian University 1-0. The right-handed Koch overpowered the Panthers throughout the contest using a fastball and a wicked curve, and did not allow a single walk. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound San Antonio native ended the game with 9 strikeouts. The Eagles got on the board in the first when Brad Broussard singled in Logan Kizer, who reached base on a single earlier in the inning. Ozarks tacked on two more runs in the second behind a David Smith and John Glenn RBI. The third inning saw Andrew Teaster double in Robby Finnell to increase the advantage to 4-0. Ozarks finished its scoring in the fourth when Glenn tripled in a run and Kizer hit a sacrifice fly. Meanwhile, Koch proved to be untouchable as he mowed down three of the final six batters. Koch pitched 7.0 innings, faced 22 batters, and now moves to 1-0 on the season. The Eagles recorded 12 hits, with Teaster going 3-for-4 with an RBI. The Eagles pounded out 22 hits in game two to earn a 19-0 victory over the Panthers. The Panther pitching staff could do little to slow down the hot-hitting Eagles as Ozarks mounted a 9-0 lead after two innings of play. Ozarks scored six runs on five hits in the first. Freddy Flores and Broussard each had an RBI, and Cory Briggs and David Isom followed with two RBI apiece in the frame. With a 9-0 lead at the end of two, Flores cranked out his first collegiate home run in the third to give Ozarks a 10-0 cushion. Ozarks had another big inning in the fifth, scoring three runs on three hits. Flores, Broussard and Teaster all collected an RBI in the inning. In the eighth, the Eagles recorded six hits, and scored five runs to cap the score at 19-0. Taylor Larkin singled in Colby Wardlow. David Saams followed with a fielder’s choice RBI. Jeffrey Weaver later added an RBI single, and Kris Hurtt rounded out the scoring when he doubled in two. John Glenn (1-0) received the win after pitching a solid 5.0 innings and striking out two. Teaster was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate, and collected one RBI. Davis Isom also had a big game, finished with two hits and four RBI. Freddy Flores went 2-for-3 with three RBI and three runs. The Eagles face the Panthers in a nine-inning contest on Sunday.
Topics: Athletics