On March 22, Cameron Finch’s name was added to a short list of prestigious ‘Breds pitchers.
The junior from Collierville, Tenn., threw his first no-hitter of his college
career in the win against SIU Edwardsville in the first game of the series Friday, March 22.
Finch is the first ‘Breds pitcher in Murray State history to pitch a nine-inning no -hitter and the eighth to pitch seven innings without a hit. The last one was recorded in 1986 against Tennessee Tech. The pitcher was Rich Garner and he led the ‘Breds to a 4-0 victory.
Because of his performance during the game, Finch was awarded OVC and National honors. He was named the Louisville Slugger Collegiate Baseball national Player of the Week, the Adidas Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week and Murray State Pepsi Athlete of the Week. This was the second time he has been named the OVC Pitcher of the Week.
About halfway through the game, Finch said he realized he might be able to throw a no-hitter.
“I started thinking about it a little bit, but I didn’t really try to change anything,” he said. “It was a close game, and I was more concerned about the win than the no-hitter.”
Finch got things rolling early, going 1-2-3 in strike outs in the first two innings. In the third, he walked one player before quickly striking out the next three. In the fourth he hit a batter, but allowed no other Cougars on base in the inning.
In the sixth inning it looked as though Finch’s no-hitter could be in jeopardy as he walked SIUE’s Denton Reed and threw a wild pitch to Matt Highland. He quickly calmed down and got out of the inning without any damage to the score or the possible no-hitter.
In the seventh inning Finch quickly struck out all three batters. The final two innings proved a little dramatic with a walk, a fielding error in the eighth and a walk in the ninth. However, Finch had control of the ball and finished the complete game without any hits.
“I was excited, relieved,” Finch said. “I was happy we won more so, but it was cool to throw (the no hitter.)”
Finch is now 3-1 so far this season with an ERA of 3.51. He needed only 96 pitches to win the game, and struck out five batters and walked four.
Senior Dylan Wheeler contributed to the win on both defense and offense. Wheeler made an incredible catch in the sixth to keep Finch’s no-hitter hopes alive. Finch joked that he needed to take his second baseman out to dinner to thank him.
This is not the first complete no -hit game Finch has thrown. He pitched two in high school, one at the district championships.
Next up the ‘Breds return to conference play as they take on Austin Peay at home on Thursday through Saturday. Finch started the game and had another strong showing allowing only four hits and a run in six innings of work.
Story by Jaci Kohn, Sports Editor.
