Rothermel Flirts with Another No-Hitter

The A’s defeated the Brighton Black Sox 5-3 in a game that wasn’t as close as the score suggests. On the back of Matt Rothermel and his complete game one hitter, ATBC wins their tenth game, bolstering their spot atop the Yawkey League standings.

ATBC struck first in the bottom of the second to take the early lead, and Rothermel cruised through the first three innings, striking out four. In the top of the fourth, the Black Sox showed signs of life with two guys reaching on walks to start the inning. With runners on first and second and no outs, Rothermel struck out the next three batters, stifling any buzz gaining momentum in the Sox dugout.

From that point on, the A’s scored in the bottom half of the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings thanks to Brett Julian, Bill Donahue, and Jacob Perez. Roth marched his no hitter to the top of the seventh, and with two outs, and two people aware of the circumstances, let up a triple smoked by the Sox’s cleanup hitter, Justine Makisimu. He stayed in the game and struck out the next guy on three pitches, securing an A’s W in what was a statement performance. This is the second time Rothermel has fallen one out shy of a no-hitter, with the first one coming in last years championship round against the Black Sox.

The ATBC train hopes to keep chugging along on Friday, where the team will battle McKay Club at English High School. First pitch is at 8. The team asks that you remember to stash some dog treats for ATBC’s mascot, Patches.

---