Finch Tosses Eighth No Hitter in School History

Friday, March 22

Edwardsvile, Ill.

4 p.m.

Murray State

11-11, 5-2

SIU Edwardsville

5-12, 3-4

Murray State

SIU Edwardsville

Photo by: Bill Handlin

3/22/2013 6:56:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

| Final Out of No Hitter (Audio only)

Murray State junior right hander Cameron Finch threw the eighth no hitter in Murray State history in a 1-0 victory over SIU Edwardsville in the first game of a three-game series Friday afternoon at the Simmons Baseball Complex.

It was the first no hitter for the Breds since Rich Garner defeated Tennessee Tech, 4-0, on April 22, 1986.

Finch (3-1) needed only 96 pitches in the second complete-game of his career. He finished the day with five strikeouts and four walks.

“I realized it in about the fith inning and I was just trying to throw strikes,” said Finch. “I kept getting ground balls and I wasn't trying to do anything special. I had the one guy 3-0 and I wasn't going to throw him a fastball and that is where I decided I was going to go for it.”

After retiring the first six hitters of the game, Finch allowed a leadoff walk in the third. The runner got to third on a sacrifice bunt and a groundout before a flyout to center ended the inning.

The Cougars (5-12, 3-4 OVC) managed only two more base runners over the next three innings, before nearly getting their first hit in the top of the seventh. Skyler Geissinger thought he had a leadoff single up the middle to start the inning, but Dylan Wheeler had other thoughts as he made an unbelievable diving stop up the middle and got the out at first.

The eighth inning saw the biggest threat for SIUE as they turned a leadoff walk into runners on the corners with two outs on an error. Finch wasn't fazed by the situation and got out of the inning with a two-hopper to the shortstop.

The ninth inning began the same way as the eighth as a leadoff walk was sacrificed over to second. Brandon Elliott made a stop on a hard ground ball for the second out before Taylor Mathews made a running catch in center field to close out the game.

“I thought it was over his head,” said Finch as he watched the final fly ball to center field. “He took a step to his left and then went to his right and I thought it was going to get over his head.”

The Breds (11-11, 5-2 OVC) collected eight hits on the game, but managed to score the only run of the game with a two-out rally in the sixth inning. Mike Kozlowski started things with a single to right field, before Wheeler delivered a double to left center that scored a hustling Kozlowski just ahead of the throw.

Wheeler and Mathews each collected two hits in the victory. Ty Stetson started the game with a single to left field to extend his streak of reaching safely to 18-straight games.

Travis Felax (2-3) was the tough-loser as he allowed just the one run on eight hits and four strikeouts in the complete-game effort.

The two teams will close out the three-game series tomorrow afternoon with a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m.