Flanagan No-Hits Columbus In 3-1 Victory
Flanagan’s Jeremy Cook celebrates after recording the final out of the team’s no-hit victory on Monday.
Flanagan got exactly the type of performance it could hope for from its pitching staff on Monday night. Opening the season in the Falcon’s First-Pitch Classic against defending Class 8A state champion Columbus, starter Nick McDonald and reliever Jeremy Cook combined for a no-hitter and a 3-1 victory.
McDonald transferred to the team this season, and me made quite a statement with his first start in a Falcons uniform. The right-hander pounded the zone and recorded 13 strikeouts in five full innings, while striking out the side in the second, third and fourth. McDonald had first-pitch strikes to seven of the first nine batters he faced the first time through the lineup, and he worked ahead nearly all night.
“That is always the plan, get ahead early in counts,” McDonald said. “Then I can work with some off-speed stuff and fool them with some stuff. Then, if I have to I, come back to the fastball and just blow them away. My teammates and the whole energy and vibe of the crowd, everything was getting my adrenaline going and I just took everything with me out to the mound. Thanks to these guys in the dugout cheering me on, I thank them more than I thank myself.”
The Falcons (1-0) got on the scoreboard for all the runs they would ultimately need in the bottom of the first. Ricky Presno lined a single to right field, but was then erased on a fielder’s choice that put Mark Vientos on first. Peter Moforis and Justin Connell drew walks to load the bases and Dylan O’Connell worked the count full before getting hit by a pitch to drive Vientos home. Alex Hernandez was also issued a free pass to score Moforis with the deciding run.
Peter Moforis celebrates with Alex Hernandez after scoring in the third.
Moforis helped add an insurance run in the third. He singled to right field and then put his legs to good use by racing all the way around from first to score on a liner straight up the middle from Connell. Moforis reached base all three trips to the plate and finished 2-for-2 with two runs.
“This game I was thinking more of last year, and I made sure that when I am hitting I’m making sure that if I see anything in the zone coming at me I am swinging,” Moforis said. “If it is a strike, a curveball or a fastball I am swinging. I took some nice pitches and I took some nice swings. It feels really good and I have a great team. I know if I don’t get the job done somebody behind me will. That is the best feeling you can have with a team like this, knowing somebody will be there to pick you up.”
The Explorers (0-1) cut into the lead with a run in the fourth. Matt Alfonso walked, advanced to second on a throwing error and then to third on a passed ball. Hernan Sardinas got the ball on the ground to the right side and reached on an error as Alfonso easily raced home to get Columbus on the scoreboard.
The Explorers threatened one last time in the top of the seventh to bring the the go-ahead run to the plate. Danny Bello reached on an error and gave way to pinch-runner David Sanchez. Mike Navarette drew a two-out walk to put the tying run at first, but reliever Jeremy Cook recorded his fifth strikeout of the night to end the game. Cook walked three during his two relief frames, but also did not allow any hits to preserve the no-no for his club.
Nick Mcdonald struck out 13 and allowed two walks in five innings.
“We got a great pitching performance,” Falcons manager Ray Evans said. “We got nineteen strikeouts, which means we had to make two plays. We had three chances to make a play and we made two, but we need to make all three. We could have done a little better hitting and we had guys in scoring position and couldn’t score them. But the pitching performance was outstanding. “
The Falcons got off to a fast start and played with the lead the whole way. The guys had good energy right out of the gates and they kept that mojo going all throughout the contest. Even despite a chilly night, the start of the season was plenty of motivation.
“I think everybody has that energy early but the thing is you have to maintain that throughout the whole year,” Evans said. “They’ve read a couple of books about motivation and the energy bus and the kids really bought into it. They’ve seen the Carolina Panthers, even though they lost the Super Bowl, and the Juice Brothers and they’ve bought into that sort of atmosphere. So as long as they continue to do it throughout the season it should be great.”
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