NORMAL, Ill. –  Paige McLeod was stellar on Friday night at she tossed her second-career no-hitter, and the first Redbird no-no at Marian Kneer in 23 years. McLeod is only the second Redbird to have multiple career no-hitters, the second to have two in a season, and the first-ever freshman to accomplish both feats.
The last home Redbird no-hitter was Apr. 7, 2001, when Nicole Kurth struck out a single-game record of 18 batters in a 1-0 win against Southern Illinois. Both home no-hitters were in 1-0 games, almost exactly 23 years apart. In the contest on Friday night, the 'Birds scattered five hits to help McLeod earn the victory in her second no-hitter of the season.
Offensive Highlights:
Pitching Breakdown:
- Paige McLeod: (W, 13-9) 7.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 22 AB, 22 BF
HOW IT HAPPENED
Paige McLeod led the Redbirds to victory, holding the Evansville Purple Aces hitless for 7.0 innings. McLeod did not walk a batter, as it was two errors that kept the freshman from her first-career perfect game.
The 'Birds helped McLeod's cause, getting on the board in the bottom of the second, when Jayden Standish hit a double to the right-center gap and was later brought in by an error from Evansville. The one run would hold on to be all McLeod needed to capture the victory.
The rest of the game was all McLeod and the Redbird defense as she struck out two batters while her defense worked to keep the sheet clean. McLeod faced just one batter above the minimum in the game, earning her 13th victory, and her second-career no-hitter.
UP NEXT
The Redbirds will take on the Purple Aces again tomorrow with a new start time of 12:00 p.m. CT. The final game of the regular season will be Sunday, May 5 at 12:00 p.m. CT where the Redbirds will celebrate Senior Day following the conclusion of the game.
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