The Newark Pilots returned to Historic Colburn Park Wednesday to host their Finger Lakes rival in the Geneva Red Wings for a doubleheader. On a hot and humid July evening, the 600+ fans in attendance had no idea that they would be witnessing history.
It was a pitcher’s duel early on in Game One, as neither side scored a run through three completed innings. After Jack Gannon (St. Peter’s/Transfer Portal) got out of a jam in the top of the fourth inning, Jack Pawlowicz (St. Bonaventure) delivered at the plate, smashing an RBI single into right field, scoring Gage Boatman (East Central) the first and only run of the game. Gannon continued his dominance striking out the final batters of the fifth and sixth innings, leaving him with only three outs needed to join the history books.
After totaling 97 pitches through six completed innings, it was uncertain whether Gannon would return for the final inning to complete the no-hit bid. Without any hesitation, Pilots head coach Daniel Steve (TC3) sent his ace back out to the mound to chase history. Gannon quickly retired the first two batters on three pitches, leaving only one batter between him and Destiny. With a 1-2 count on Tyler Cerame (FLCC), Gannon threw a breaking ball in the dirt, causing Cerame to chase, and Boatman applied the tag to complete the no-hitter and give the Pilots the 1-0 victory.
Newark would later rally to win the nightcap 8-3 for their third-consecutive win, improving to 6-15 on the season
The no-hitter for Gannon was the fifth in the history of the PGCBL and the first in team history for the Newark Pilots.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].