Baseball Fires First No-Hitter Since 2005 in 2-0 win Over Middle Tennessee

Friday, February 28

New Orleans, LA

6:30 PM

Tulane University

7-2

Middle Tennessee

3-6

Middle Tenn.

Tulane

Photo by: Parker Waters

Baseball Fires First No-Hitter Since 2005 in 2-0 win Over Middle Tennessee

Feb 28, 2020 | Baseball

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NEW ORLEANS, La. – For the first time since 2005, the Tulane Green Wave baseball team pitched a no-hitter with a dominant 2-0 win over Middle Tennessee Friday night at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium.

The Green Wave (7-2) combined to throw nine no-hit innings while allowing only one baserunner, coming on an error in the sixth inning. Starter Braden Olthoff (3-0) posted six innings and finished the night striking out eight, with one fly out and eight ground outs.

"I was just pounding my fastball, getting ahead in the count. And when I get ahead in the count, I know I can expand with my pitches, whether it's the changeup or the slider," Olthoff said.

Junior Clifton Slagel relieved Olthoff to the tune of 2.1 perfect innings, striking out three, before Keagan Gillies came on to record the final pair of outs in the ninth. Tulane pitchers combined to record 12 strikeouts and issue zero walks.

"I'm just proud of the guys. We needed that tonight too. You have got to give credit to their pitchers," coach Travis Jewett said. "It took that kind of combined effort between our three guys to win a game like this because it was so close."

While it was a combined effort, Braden Olthoff received much of the praise from his teammates.

"Since the day he got on campus he has put in the work, so we've seen this coming for a long time," second baseman Jonathon Artigues said.

The Green Wave managed two runs on six hits, plenty of offense on a night where the pitching dominated. Hudson Haskin and Artigues managed two hits apiece, with Trevor Minder and David Bedgood having a hit each.

Haskin led off the first inning for Tulane by slashing a single to left field before redshirt senior Grant Mathews pushed him into scoring position with a walk. After an attempted sacrifice bunt saw the lead runner hosed at third base, Ethan Groff grounded to shortstop for what should have been the third out, but Groff's hustle down the line forced Middle Tennessee to throw wildly to first base allowing Mathews to score the game's first run.

Leading off the bottom of the third inning, Minder drove a double off the base of the left field wall before tagging up to third base with one out. A fly ball to center field by Groff seemed to be too shallow to score Minder, but the infielder raced home and beat a good throw with a diving slide to make it 2-0 Tulane.

The game moved quickly after the third inning, with perhaps the most notable play coming in the field in the fifth inning. MTSU had their best chance at a base hit on a sharp ground ball in the direction of Artigues at second base. The senior dove to his left and snagged the ball at full extension before firing to first base for the out.

After Jewett pulled Olthoff after six innings due to a heavy workload last week in California, Slagel took charge of the no-hit bid. The junior sent all of his seven hitters down before being relieved in the ninth with one out. Gillies came in to close the door completing Tulane's first no-hitter since April 26, 2005.

"To be honest, I didn't even know we were throwing a no-hitter," said Gillies. "I just went out there and did my thing and tried to throw strikes."

Middle Tennessee starting pitcher Aaron Brown (1-2) allowed his first earned run of the season and walked four batters, raising his earned run average to 0.66 in his five innings of work. Brycen Thomas threw three innings and struck out six.

After Friday's start, Olthoff sits at 3-0 with a 0.43 earned run average. He has 34 strikeouts and just one walk on the season. Slagel's earned run average remains at 0.00 through 9.2 innings of three-hit ball. After the game, Olthoff deflected the praise, instead diverting attention to his teammates.

"Just knowing I've got those guys behind my back," said Olthoff, "makes it a lot easier to pound the zone."

Up Next
Tulane takes on Middle Tennessee Saturday in game two of the series, with first pitch set for 2 p.m. at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium.

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