by JASON GORDON
Hays pitcher Shane Kelley threw a no-hitter while striking out 10 batters Monday night in an 8-0 win at Elgin. (Photo by www.beyondstill.com)
Baseball has always been full of superstitions, and Hays centerfielder Trace Gandy almost committed one of the sport’s cardinal sins Monday night at Elgin.
After Shane Kelley allowed the Wildcats no hits through five innings, Gandy said he had something to tell the Rebel pitcher but was going to keep it a secret.
“I guessed what he was talking about, that I had a no-hitter going,” Kelley said. “Trace got mad and then made me knock on wood to get rid of the bad omens.”
It turned out Kelley wasn’t affected at all by receiving the notice he was on the verge of history.
He finished out the sixth and seventh innings in fine fashion, retiring the final six batters he faced. The final out came on a slow roller down the third-base line that almost crossed up Kelley and Justin Heath, but the Rebel catcher fielded it just in time and made a strong throw to first base to seal the no-hitter and an 8-0 Hays win.
Hays head coach Doug Ragsdale rushed to the mound to congratulate Kelley, and his teammates soon followed to help him celebrate one of the rarest feats in baseball as the crowd gave him a standing ovation.
In all, Kelley struck out 10 batters and walked only two. He faced only one batter over the minimum and retired the final 15 Wildcats that came to the plate.
“A no-hitter is always special,” Hays head coach Doug Ragsdale said. “We’ve only had two others pitched in the 15 years I’ve been here. It was a really good feeling for all of us after the game. We were all tickled to death he finished it off.”
Kelley said he honestly began thinking about it during the sixth inning.
“After Trace told me, I did get a little nervous,” Kelley said. “After it was over it was a pretty amazing feeling. It was so great to have Coach Ragsdale come out there, and to have the crowd standing and my teammates running in from the outfield was awesome.”
Kelley, who improved to 7-0 on the season with a miniscule 0.92 earned run average, had plenty of run support to work with.
Reuben Miller had a two-RBI single that plated Heath and Gandy in the top of the first inning, and added an RBI-single in the second. And Gandy and Phillip Abreo also drove in runs in the second inning to help stake Hays to an early 6-0 lead.
“There was a lot less pressure going out there with such a big lead to work with,” Kelley said. “We’ve really been hitting the ball hard lately.”
With the win, Hays (17-6, 8-1 17-4A) stays in a first-place tie with San Marcos for the district lead.
The Rebels travel to Lockhart Friday and then don’t play again until the following Friday when they host Lehman because of TAKS testing week. Hays, which has already clinched a playoff spot, will close out the regular season Saturday, May 1, at Manor.
