SEGUIN, Texas –
Matthew Williams was nearly perfect, tossing nine-innings of no-hit ball and walking just two, recording the program's first no-hitter since 2004 and the No. 25 Concordia Texas baseball team pushed their win streak to nine, defeating Franklin 4-0 on Saturday to advance to the NCAA Regional Championship game.
Williams, the American Southwest Conference Pitcher of the Year, was un-hittable for the Tornados, striking out seven Grizzlies and walking just two batters. It is his fourth complete game shutout of the season and sets the ASC record for wins in a single season with 12 for the year.
It is the first no-hitter for CTX since Scott Gordon went the distance against St. Edward's in a seven-inning game back on Feb. 14, 2004. It is the first complete game no-hitter thrown in the NCAA D-III playoffs since 2007, when Jordan Baitinger of Ripon toseed one, and only the third time the feat has been accomplished since 1980.
Williams would walk the second batter he faced, but found his groove from there, striking out a pair in the second.
The Tornados, meanwhile, provided the offense early for Williams, scoring two runs in the first thanks to a Grizzlies wild pitch scoring
Casen Novak, followed by
Jacob Stegent working a bases-loaded walk to make it 2-0 after one.
In the fourth, Williams allowed his final batter to reach, allowing a two-out walk, but responded with a strikeout and had five punch outs through four frames.
Concordia Texas added to their lead in the bottom half of the inning as Novak walked to lead off the inning. After a sacrifice bunt moved Novak to second,
Bret Leiferman brought him home on an RBI single through the left side to make it 3-0.
As Williams continued his domination, the Tornados would tack on another run in the seventh on Novak's two-out RBI single to bring home Stegent and push their advantage to 4-0.
In the ninth, Williams stayed calm, inducing a ground out for the first out. He would follow with his seventh strikeout of the game for out number two. He would finish off the no-hitter, inducing a fly out to right-center, where Leiferman made the catch to secure the 4-0 win.
Novak finished 3-for-4 from the plate, scoring twice and driving in a run, while Leiferman and Stegent each had a pair of hits and an RBI.
The win for Williams, meanwhile, puts him second in program history for wins in a single season and wins in a career (26).
With the victory, CTX advances to the Seguin Regional Championship game, their first regional championship appearance since 2017. They will face Franklin on Sunday at noon in Seguin, Texas, looking to advance past the regional round for the first time since 2002.
