He didn’t let the opportunity pass him by.
Salado’s senior right-hander tossed only the second no-hitter in Class 2A state tournament history and his offense delivered another thunderous performance as the third-ranked Eagles slammed No. 8 San Angelo Grape Creek 11-0 in five innings Wednesday morning in a University Interscholastic League state semifinal game at Dell Diamond.
“I feel phenomenal,” said Jackson, who struck out eight of the 18 batters he faced and threw 89 pitches. “I’ve been waiting for this moment since I was nine years old watching them play high school baseball. I’ve just been waiting for this forever.”
Added Salado coach Melvin Bates, who led the Eagles to their only other state appearance in 1986: “That’s a great one. It looked like we came out here pretty relaxed and just did what we do. We hit the ball up and down the lineup from the first inning on. Kevin, I couldn’t ask for more. He was throwing strikes and getting them out.”
Salado (31-6) seeks its first state baseball championship at 2 p.m. today when the Eagles battle Corsicana Mildred (31-6), which defeated Buna (22-7) 7-5 in the second semifinal.
Grape Creek finished 30-7.
Jackson (11-2) picked up in the first inning where he left off in a Game 1 win over Lexington in the Region IV championship series last week at Dell, when he allowed just one hit in his final four innings.
He walked a batter in the first, second and fifth innings but recorded key strikeouts to keep Grape Creek off the scoreboard.
Pilot Point Selz’s Russ Horton tossed the other 2A state no-hitter when he blanked Grand Saline in 1995.
“My curveball - I got that to work,” said Jackson, who hasn’t lost a decision since March. “The fastball had a better jump today than it usually did and I was just focused in out there. My defense made a couple plays for me and everything worked out.”
Matt Fritsch - who started the season batting third and moved to the No. 2 spot 14 games ago - was bumped up to the leadoff spot for the semifinal game. Fritsch jumpstarted Salado’s offense with a double on the first pitch from Grape Creek starter Landon McCall.
Jackson then singled through a drawn-in infield to plate Fritsch for a 1-0 lead. Johnny Nix eventually drove in courtesy runner Hunter Ward for a 2-0 first-inning lead.
Justin Berumen, who hit a grand slam in the Game 1 win over Lexington, singled on the first pitch he saw to lead off the second. He eventually scored on Fritsch’s single for a 3-0 lead.
Seth Collins drove in Tyler Wright for a 4-0 lead and Jackson doubled home Fritsch and Collins to make it 6-0.
“Lately, that’s the way it’s been,” said Jackson, who went 2-for-3 with three runs batted in. “Every single game we seem to score 10 runs or more. It’s just been a great season for everyone. Everyone has broken records and had a phenomenal year.”
Junior second baseman Berumen came back around later in the second to knock in two runs for an 8-0 lead. He went 2-for-3 with three RBI and is 6-for-8 with nine RBI in his three games played at Dell Diamond, with most of the damage being done on the first pitch.
“It’s comfortable. It’s easy. It feels easy,” Berumen said about hitting at Dell Diamond. “It’s just my pitch. It’s a proven fact that the first pitch is probably the best one you’ll see, so I just have to go up there and be ready.”
After Fritsch tripled and scored in the fourth for a 9-0 lead, Garret Ward provided the knockout blow with a mammoth two-run home run to left-center field that was estimated at 420 feet.
“I was trying to take it the other way because he (reliever Mitchell Pustka) was kind of throwing a bit slower than the other guy,” said Ward, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI. “I saw the pitch come right down the middle and hit it pretty far away, I heard. I kind of flipped the bat a little because it looked like it was going out. It was really exciting.
“Coach Bates said, ‘You amaze me sometimes.’ People keep saying that is the farthest ball they’ve ever seen hit but I was just trying to put the bat on the ball and get a base hit, actually.”
Added Jackson: “I don’t know how he did that.”
Fritsch went 3-for-3, while Nix, Jackson, Ward and Berumen all went 2-for-3. Salado totaled 15 hits, including five for extra bases.
With Jackson’s complete-game effort, the Eagles have plenty of fresh arms today as they seek Salado’s first state baseball title. Senior left-hander Sam VanHoozer (9-3, 2.05 earned-run average), who threw a three-hit shutout in Game 2 against Lexington, will get the nod, while Fritsch, catcher Justin Schiller (6-0) and, if necessary, Jackson will be available for the Eagles.
Said Bates about his options: “We can do whatever we want to."
