Crocker (8-4) senior Ty Helms couldn't have picked a better time – and venue – to pitch the game of his high school life.
With lusciously green grass, towering lights and a seemingly larger-than-life Jumbotron providing the backdrop behind him, Helms frustrated Frisco League rival Dixon (12-3) through seven full innings to record a no-hitter at Hammons Field on Tuesday afternoon.
Contrary to how many no-hitters are achieved, Helms didn't rely on an overpowering pitching arsenal to complete the feat – and instead let pitch location and the defense behind him do the job in a 2-0 victory.
“It feels really good,” Helms said about his no-no afterward. “It was a good performance by us all and it was a good field to play on.”
Out of the 18 outs Helms induced on Tuesday, only five were not of the groundout variety – a stat that is an apropos testament to the hurler's impressive ability to work low in the strike zone all game long.
And while he only struck out a pair of Dixon batters, Helms issued just one walk and rarely ran into a three-ball count.
“He really set a good rhythm, had a good pace and was early and often with strikes,” first-year head coach Brandon Shepherd said of his starter. “It really helped him get set up. We had some good defense behind him and that really helped, too.”
Not to be forgotten was the admirable outing from Dixon starting pitcher Braden Mahurin, who yielded just two hits while walking four Lions and striking out six in a complete-game effort.
Flirting with a no-hit bid himself, Mahurin didn't allow a hit until the bottom of the fourth when Crocker third baseman Mason Boorom grounded a sharp single into left field for the first knock for either club.
Mahurin's biggest trouble spot on the mound occurred in the first – giving up three walks and two wild pitches to eventually plate two runs for the Lions.
The sophomore standout would also work into trouble in the fourth and fifth, but would strand a pair of runners in both frames.
“It was nice to get those [runs] early,” Shepherd said. “You're never satisfied, obviously, leaving some [baserunners] out there stranded, but credit to their guy. He kind of just shut us down.”
Another obstacle that the Bulldogs were having to weave around was the absence of nearly half of their usual starting lineup which arrived late due to ACT test scheduling, but head coach Alex Shelton wasn't about to use that as a cover for his team's struggles at the plate.
“That's not an excuse,” said Shelton. “We can still do better, but Ty [Helms] did a nice job for Crocker. I don't think there was anything we could have done about that.”
The win for Crocker is the first in three tries this spring against Dixon, which outscored the Lions by a count of 14-4 over the first two games. And considering the fact that Crocker nabbed the 'W' in a grand venue such as Hammons Field, the triumph over the Bulldogs travels to a whole new level for Coach Shepherd.
“It's always more intense when you play them because they usually battle it out until the end,” Shepherd added. “The setting and the stage made it just a little bit sweeter today.”
Both teams return to action on Friday as Crocker travels to take on Belle, while Dixon hosts Richland.
