CMB pitcher throws second no-hitter this season

COLFAX — Brady Stover peeled off his No. 20 jersey after Collins-Maxwell/Baxter's game against Colfax-Mingo to reveal a black Under Armour shirt displaying a large Batman symbol on the chest. The 16-year-old sophomore explained he wears the shirt every time he pitches for good luck and that he's building a collection of superhero shirts.

"I have a Superman one and this one," he said. "I'm trying to get my mom to get me another one, but they're expensive."

The way Stover pitched in CMB's 4-2 win over the Tigerhawks, he may not want to change superhero shirts anytime soon.

Stover threw his second no-hitter of the season Monday night, and this time added a win to his pitching record. The lefty previously threw a no-hitter in a 3-0 loss to Roland Story on June 17.

"It feels a lot better. I'm a lot more happy now," Stover said, smiling. "We put on a good game today."

Stover dominated Colfax-Mingo for most of of the night. He struck out a career-high 18 batters, including six of the first seven he faced. After a pair of walks in the third inning, he retired 11 straight, a streak that continued into the sixth and featured eight strikeouts.

His only hiccup came in the seventh when he fielded a sacrifice bunt and threw the ball into right field, which helped Colfax-Mingo score it's only runs of the game.

"I knew I had this one (the no-hitter)," said Stover, who wasn't aware he had thrown his first no-hitter until head coach Max Seeman told him following the game against Roland Story. "The whole game I was trying to think, don't think about it and just pitch and in the seventh inning, I think I thought about it a little bit more and I recovered from it and finished the game."

That sequence, in which Stover moved on from his error and recorded the final two outs, was something CMB's second-year head coach pointed to as a sign of the young pitcher's progression.

"You saw late there he kind of got really hard on himself after he gave up a walk and threw the ball away to first, but it's been better than it has been in the past," Seeman said. "I know he'll keep improving. That's what I've told him he has to do. He's got to stay out of his own head, don't sweat the small stuff, trust yourself and your defense and good things will happen."

CMB broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning when senior Zach Samson hit a solo home run. It was his third of the season.

The Raiders scored what proved to be necessary insurance runs in the seventh on an RBI single from Hunter McWhirter, an error and a bases-loaded walk issued to Creighton Caple.

CMB hung on in the seventh to win what was the team's first game since June 25. Multiple rainouts prevented the team from not only playing games but holding full practices since then.

The time off proved beneficial, though, as Stover showed no signs of rust in his stellar outing.

"We had a two-week break because of the rain delays and I felt good," Stover said. "My arm was loose. Coming into this game, I felt really good about it."