The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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April 18, 2006

Bucs pay the Price

Loyola senior righty pitches no-hitter against WEM

By Brian Ojanpa

MANKATO — Rod Price says he’s thrown a couple of one-hitters in summer ball, but that’s as close as he’s come.

Until Monday.

The Mankato Loyola senior right-hander used an economical 74 pitches to no-hit Waterville-Elysian-Morristown in a Gopher Conference baseball matchup at Franklin Rogers Park.

The Crusaders scored single runs in the fifth and sixth innings to down the Bucs 2-0.

Only a seventh-inning infield error on a high chopper prevented Price from recording a perfect game.

In facing 22 batters — one over the minimum — he fanned eight and didn’t issue a walk in running his record to 2-0.

With two outs in the seventh, all that stood between Price and his no-hitter was Bucs first baseman Kenny Wollin, who earlier hit the hardest ball of the day — a line-drive out to center.

This time up, the left-handed batting Wollin hit a slicing liner to left that Crusaders outfielder Max Rotchadl snared as he battled the sun.

“It was a heck of a catch. And he let me know about,” Price joked in the afterglow of the crisply played game by both sides.

The contest quickly settled into a pitchers’ duel between Price and the Bucs’ Derek Lux.

Loyola scored its first run in the fifth inning, when Adam Rajtar reached first on a fielder’s choice, stole second, and scored on Ryan Kennedy’s single.

Loyola coach Chris Biehn said Price’s mound poise in the ensuing half-inning was key.

“Our biggest thing with him was trying to keep his focus, and after we scored that first run, he went out and got them 1-2-3,” Biehn said.

Loyola’s second run came in the sixth. Sophomore Mike Kiefer led off with a single against Bucs reliever Travis Doran, advanced to third on walks to Alex Haefner and Mike Wesely, and scored on an infield out.

Those two runs proved more than enough for Price.

“I was locating my pitches pretty well today,” said Price, who threw his curve and fastball almost exclusively.

“I only threw my change once or twice, and that was the end of that. The ump had a pretty big strike zone too, so that helped.”

Rotchadl had two of the seven hits for Loyola (2-0).

The Bucs fall to 3-1.

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