Nicole Doyle throws no-hitter in first collegiate start

Saturday, March 12

Clearwater, Fla.

10:30 AM

Southern Illinois University

12-7

Hartford

2-15

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Hartford	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Southern Illinois	1	1	0	0	0	3	X	5	7	0

03/12/2016 | 12:00:00 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

March 12, 2016

By John Lock
SIUSalukis.com

G1 Box | G2 Box

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Freshman pitcher Nicole Doyle threw a no-hitter in her first collegiate start, highlighting a split at the USF Under Armour Showcase on Saturday. Doyle no-hit Hartford in a 5-0 Saluki win, and fellow freshman Brianna Jones threw a gem against a 16-win East Carolina team in the second game as the Salukis (12-8) lost 1-0 to East Carolina.

"What a great way to start your college career," head coach Kerri Blaylock said of Doyle. "Coming off a performance where she wasn't happy with herself, she just threw fantastic today. She had a lot of ball movement and great command. That was a tight ball game until the seventh inning, so I'm really proud how she handled the moment."

Doyle made her second appearance in a Saluki uniform after spending the last eight months recovering from a torn ACL in late June. She allowed five earned runs in a relief appearance last weekend but was absolutely dominant against Hartford (2-15) in her first career start.

She admitted to feeling nervous before the game, but she struck out two Hawks in a perfect first inning and felt in control from there. Doyle credited Blaylock with an early adjustment that kept her rolling through the lineup three times.

"Towards the end, I think they were just guessing," Doyle said.

Hartford hitters went 0-for-21 against Doyle with seven strikeouts. A sixth-inning walk was the only thing that kept her from a perfect game. There was no line score on the scoreboard at Moore Field, and Doyle said she didn't realize she had thrown a no-hitter until Sydney Jones told her after the game. She was predictably humble about the accomplishment after the game.

"I'm just glad that it went well," Doyle said. "Obviously, our offense was the reason we won that game, and the defense had my back."

Shaye Harre and Merri Anne Patterson led the offense. Harre had an RBI single in the first to give Doyle an early lead, and Patterson was robbed at the fence of home runs her first two at-bats before hitting a three-run homer in her final at-bat to set the final score.

"Shaye and Merri Anne had a great days today," Blaylock said. "(Patterson) had three swings at that kid that all could have been home runs, and she finally got the third one over."

Brianna Jones was outstanding in the next game, against East Carolina (16-11). The game featured a pitching duel against the top two shutout pitchers in NCAA softball. ECU ace Lydia Ritchie (9-3) won the battle and matched Jones with an NCAA-best six shutouts this season. ECU hit a leadoff home run in the fifth inning for the game's only run.

"She threw pretty dog-gone good today," Blaylock said of Jones. "She would probably tell you she only made one mistake. She got out of some situations. She handled things beautifully with runners in scoring position. She does not pitch like a freshman; she enjoys the moments."

On average, SIU's hitters saw more than five pitches per at-bat against Ritchie, forcing her to work through 123 pitches in her two-hitter. But she may have won the game with her defense. SIU got the tying run to second base, and Ritchie snared a low liner to take a sure RBI single away from Sydney Jones and preserve the shutout.

"We had kids with really good at-bats--Sydney Jones, Shaye, Gonz," Blaylock said. "We couldn't squeak one across, but I thought we played with good energy. It was a great college softball game; we just didn't come out on top."

Southern improved to 3-1 so far at the Under Armour Showcase. The pitching staff of Jones, Doyle and Savanna Dover now has an ERA of 0.52 in 27 innings in Clearwater, showing that SIU will be a player in the MVC race this season.

"We just have to remember: Overall, we are a very young team. These moments are preparing us for further on down the line. I felt really good about today," Blaylock said.

SIU closes the weekend with an 8 a.m. CT game against Butler tomorrow morning. SIU split a pair of games against Butler last weekend at the Coach B Classic, setting up a rubber match in Florida tomorrow.

NO HITTER! @nicoledoyle1007 throws a no-hitter in her first collegiate start, and the #Salukis WIN!! pic.twitter.com/juivQ0jSRF

- SIU Softball (@SIU_Softball) March 12, 2016

@SIU_Softball defeats Hartford 5-0 behind a no-hitter by freshman Nicole Doyle #Salukis pic.twitter.com/E8MmHXMzIw

- Mark Scally (@ScallySaluki) March 12, 2016

Nicole Doyle becomes the first Saluki freshman to pitch a no-hitter since Carisa Winters had four in 1997. Her first was March 21 that year.

- Brent Meske (@brentmeskeDE) March 12, 2016