Mize tosses no-hitter
AUBURN | Casey Mize was in complete control Friday night.
The junior All-American didn’t allow a hit, striking out a career-high 13 in No. 15 Auburn’s 6-0 win over Northeastern at Plainsman Park. It’s the Tigers’ first no-hitter since a perfect game by Eric Brandon in 2002.
“It’s pretty awesome man. I’m still in shock a little bit,” Mize said. “I realized pretty early on that I had one, but I didn’t know I could actually do it.”
Mize (4-0) retired the final 17 batters of the game, needing just 105 pitches to throw the third complete game of his career. He threw 77 strikes and 12 of the 13 strikeouts were swinging.
“Sometimes Casey comes out and stuff is just working right away and he just starts running through hitters. He did that tonight and it just kept going,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said. “They kept not recognizing, seeing pitches.
“He kept throwing the fastball, elevating it in the zone and the guys, it looked like they were getting out ahead and timing it more. He got the split. He’s got a 90 mile per hour cutter now that is starting to round into shape that he did not feature last year. And even the slider was good a few times.”
Mize didn’t allow a walk or hit batter. A throwing error by shortstop Will Holland in the fourth kept it from being the third perfect game in school history, but there were several outstanding plays in the field that preserved the no-no including a running catch deep in left-center by Conor Davis in the fourth inning and a couple of plays by second baseman Luke Jarvis ranging far to his left.
“I’m pretty happy with how everybody played tonight. My defense did a really good job,” Mize said. “Luke Jarvis made some plays in the four-hole that were pretty good. Conor Davis catching that ball in left field in like the second or third inning was a great play. I think in no-hitters there is always that one great play and I think Conor’s was a really good play."
Auburn improves to 14-0 on the season, the second-best start in school history.
The Tigers plated three in the first on a two-run home run by Brendan Venter and a double by Josh Anthony and an error by the right fielder to score Davis from first base. Two more came home in the fourth on back-to-back-to-back doubles by Brett Wright, Jay Estes and Edouard Julien.
The Tigers added a run in the fifth on an RBI groundout by Anthony.
“Brendan Venter was really good. That was one of our most complete games,” Thompson said.
Venter finished 4-of-4 to raise his average to .510 with two runs scored and two RBI. His third home run of the season ties Wright for the team lead. Davis and Julien had two hits apiece.
“Obviously tonight is not about me at all,” Venter said. "But I just try to get a good pitch and put a barrel on the baseball. Whatever happens, happens.”
The series continues Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. CT on SECN+ and WatchESPN.