TURNER — Leavitt played nearly perfect baseball Wednesday in its 10-0 mercy-rule victory over Medomak Valley in six innings. Coach Chris Cifelli said it was a typical performance for the 2024 Hornets (12-2). “That has been the story all season,” Cifelli said.
“We have been able to get great pitching performances, solid fielding, and guys have stepped up throughout the lineup. It’s just not the usual suspects. Every game, there has been someone who’s contributed in some fashion.
” The lone hiccup happened during the Panthers’ first at-bat when Aaron Reed reached on an error but got caught in a pickle trying to reach second base and called out. Reed was the only player to get to first base for Medomak Valley (4-10) as Hornets starting Will Keach sat down the next 17 batters in a row for a no-hitter. He had four strikeouts.
“We needed a big performance today to keep the bullpen from being taxed,” Cifelli said. “We have a three-game week, and we know Medomak is capable of scoring a lot of runs. To keep that team off-balance like he did, it was amazing to watch him pitch.
That was the thing: It wasn’t throwing hard — it was locating his fastball and mixing in his off-speed stuff. It wasn’t just a hard-throwing game.” The Hornets beat the Panthers 8-7 on May 6 in Waldoboro.
Keach said it is the first no-hitter he’s thrown, and that he focused on the bottom of the strike zone. “Keeping the ball low, getting ground balls, and let my defense behind me .
