Adam Scott didn’t know he was throwing a no-hitter until he looked at the scoreboard.
That’s when the Shelton State (Ala.) Community College pitcher noticed he had the first no-hitter going since Wilmington (N.C.) College’s Billy DeBruhl threw one in the Alpine Bank Junior College World Series in 1959.
“I didn’t notice it until the fifth inning when I looked at the scoreboard to see how many runs were up,” Scott said. “I guess that screwed me up.”
Hagerstown (Md.) Community College’s Charles Johnson led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a single, but that was the only hit Scott gave up in an 11-0 victory in five innings Thursday at Suplizio Field.
Scott (11-0) limited the Hawks to one hit, two walks and struck out six in five innings.
“That’s typical for him,” Shelton State coach Bobby Sprowl said. “He’ll be a good pitcher in the SEC next year at Alabama. He throws strikes with his fastball, keeps it down and has late life on it and a hard slider. He’s been throwing like that for us for two years.”
Thursday was Scott’s fourth start of the season.
“Scott could start most of the time, but we use him out of the bullpen because you need three guys out there in case somebody doesn’t have it,” Sprowl said. “We use him from the fourth inning on. We have three guys we rely on out of the pen and he is one of them.”
Scott tossed the one-hitter locating two pitches, a fastball and a slider, without throwing very hard.
“He kept the ball down and commanded the strike zone with his fastball,” Jones said. “He threw his slider for strikes when he needed to.
“I knew as long as he’s leaving his fastball down, he’s pretty successful.”
Scott received some help from the defense in the fourth to keep the no-hitter intact.
With two out, Alex Stover, the Hawks 6-foot-5 first baseman, drove a ball out of reach of Shelton State first baseman Brandon Bearden, but second baseman Justin Diliberto got to the ball and Scott made it to first base in time to get the third out.
“I’m glad he got over there and carried the bag,” Diliberto said. “I wouldn’t have been able to throw it if he didn’t. I knew I could get to it.
“I was thinking about it the inning before. It kind of sucks he gave up a hit in the last inning.”
“It was one of those days everything was working,” Scott said. “You don’t get those days many times.”
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E-mail Allen Gemaehlich at agemaehlich@gjds.com.
