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MOOSIC — Andrew Burns picked the perfect setting and circumstance for his first no-hitter on any level.
The MMI Prep senior only allowed one runner past first base Tuesday afternoon as the Preppers shut out defending champion Susquehanna 2-0 in the District 2 Class A baseball championship game at PNC Field.
“It’s amazing,” Burns said after striking out 11. “It’s a surreal moment.”
Burns could sense early that something special was coming.
“Even in the bullpen, my stuff just felt good,” said Burns, who credited the success to his best fastball ever, which was able to help him work from there with his curveball and slider/changeup.
MMI Prep scored in each of the first two innings and Susquehanna seldom threatened.
The Sabers had lead-off walks in the second and sixth innings. A one-out walk was erased on a double play on a base-runner blunder on an infield pop-up.
Nathan Oropallo stole second and third after his walk in the sixth inning, but Burns struck out the side as part of fanning five of the game’s last six batters.
“When you give up a lead-off walk, you have to lock in,” said Burns, who had the baseball from the final out tucked into his back left pocket to present to his mother after the game. “ … Throughout the year, I just tried to limit those lead-off walks.”
When the Sabers did manage to put the ball in play, the Preppers handled everything smoothly in an error-free game.
Caleb Skuba led an MMI Prep offense hat took advantage of one mistake by Susquehanna.
Skuba tripled to the left-center gap with one out in the first inning and came in to score on a wild relay throw.
“I saw that the ball was pretty much perfectly placed in the gap,” Skuba said. “I was listening to my coach and he just told me to go, which was pretty much unexpected.”
Skuba was the only player to finish with two hits.
Adam Frask led off the second with a single, stole second and scored on a bloop single to right field by Burns.
Skuba followed with another hit, but Susquehanna pitcher Colton Stone, who did not walk a batter in a complete game, got out of the inning without further trouble.
District 2 Class A championship
MMI Prep 2, Susquehanna 0
Susquehanna`AB`R`H`BI
Marcy ss`3`0`0`0
Rooney c`3`0`0`0
Rockwell lf`3`0`0`0
Callender 2b`2`0`0`0
Koziol rf`1`0`0`0
Maby rf`2`0`0`0
Overbaugh 1b`1`0`0`0
Stone p`2`0`0`0
Overbaugh cf`1`0`0`0
Hennessey 3b`2`0`0`0
Totals`20`0`0`0
MMI Prep`AB`R`H`BI
Burns p`3`0`1`1
Skuba rf`3`1`2`0
Yenchko lf`3`0`1`0
Pantages cf`3`0`0`0
Williams 3b`2`0`0`0
Drobnock 1b`3`0`0`0
Horvat ss`3`0`0`0
Kranyak 2b lf`3`0`1`0
Frask dh`2`1`1`0
Witner c`0`0`0`0
Totals`25`2`6`1
Susquehanna`000`000`0` — 0
MMI Prep`110`000`x — 2
3B — Skuba.
Susquehanna`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Stone L`6.0`6`2`1`0`6
MMI Prep`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Burns W`7`0`0`0`3`11