Martin fires no-hitter for South City in win over Mission
Right-hander records the Warriors’ first no-hitter of the post-Bob Brian era
Right-hander records the Warriors’ first no-hitter of the post-Bob Brian era
by Terry Bernal Daily Journal staff
Feb 29, 2024
South City right-hander Gabe Martin got a little roughed up in his 2024 pitching debut. But the 6-1 junior bounced back in a big way.Martin fired South City baseball’s first no-hitter of the post-Bob Brian era in the Warriors’ 5-0 home win Tuesday over Mission-SF. The junior went the distance, facing three over the minimum, issuing three walks while holding Mission hitless.
“To be honest, I believe it’s never happened since I’ve been here in the last 25 years,” said Matt Schaukowitch, who took over for the legendary Brian as South City’s baseball manager in 2001. “So, it was a pretty cool little experience, and I don’t think it’s happened any time lately.”
The outing was Martin’s first start of the year. His first pitching appearance was in relief Feb. 24 against Overfelt-San Jose. The junior worked one inning, allowing two runs on one hit and a walk. The hiccup didn’t cost South City, however, as the team is off to a 3-0 start this season.
Martin was electric Monday, striking out 13, including a called third strike to end the game for No. 13. He finished with 92 pitches, a high number for the opening week of the season. Schaukowitch said Martin was still under his pitch limit when he finished the sixth inning and made the decision to extend his starter in the seventh if he kept the no-hitter in his sights.
“He was pretty efficient all day,” Schaukowitch said. “It’s tough to take a kid out in a situation like that. Obviously, there was a concern … but it was his, for him to finish, as long as everything stayed intact.”
Prior to the seventh inning, Schaukowitch conferred with his left-side infielders, shortstop Giovanni Bernal and third baseman Emilio Oseguera, to stress the importance of the situation. No one used the words “no-hitter,” but all three were on the same page.
Asked Schaukowitch: “‘Do you know what’s at stake when we go out in the seventh?’” he said. “And they were like, ‘Yeah, we know.’”
Oseguera was certainly on his toes in the seventh. After Martin opened the inning with a strikeout, the following batter hit a line drive to the left side of the infield. Oseguera shuffled two steps to his right to haul in the loud liner, but it was a scary moment for those aware history was in the making.
“Off the bat I held my breath,” Schaukowitch said.
Martin wasn’t the only one featuring hitless stuff. While South City (3-0) totaled 11 walks in the game and jumped ahead early — scoring one in the first, one in the second and two more in the fourth — Mission (0-2) took a no-hitter of its own into the sixth. The Warriors produced just one hit in the game, off the bat of Martin, who tabbed an RBI single in the sixth to up the lead to 5-0.
Martin has now hit safely in all three of South City’s games, batting .385 (5 for 13) on the young season.
On the mound, Martin dominated with a two-pitch combination. He is now 1-0 with a 1.75 ERA.
“The fastball up, he was getting it by them, and he was able to strike some guys out on looking curveballs,” Schaukowitch said. “He really did a nice job of mixing it up. … He had it going on. He’s got stuff … but to be able to get into double digits is definitely an accomplishment in itself.”
https://www.smdailyjournal.com/sports/local/martin-fires-no-hitter-for-south-city-in-win-over-mission/article_bd032fb8-d6b3-11ee-942c-9f88a7827dad.html
Source: San Mateo Daily Journal