The right-hander tossed a no-hitter and struck out 14 to lead the Honkers to a 2-0 victory over Colfax in the Sac-Joaquin Section Div. III final at Sacramento City College. The team’s ace, who is headed to Oregon State in the fall, also drove in the game’s first run in the top of the seventh inning with a double and scored the second run before finishing off his no-no. For the season, Eden posted a 6-2 record with a 1.83 ERA, but in three postseason starts, he was 2-0 with two complete game victories and 36 strikeouts in only 19.1 innings pitched.
The right-hander tossed a no-hitter and struck out 14 to lead the Honkers to a 2-0 victory over Colfax in the Sac-Joaquin Section Div. III final at Sacramento City College. The team’s ace, who is headed to Oregon State in the fall, also drove in the game’s first run in the top of the seventh inning with a double and scored the second run before finishing off his no-no. For the season, Eden posted a 6-2 record with a 1.83 ERA, but in three postseason starts, he was 2-0 with two complete game victories and 36 strikeouts in only 19.1 innings pitched.
SportStars: Could you have dreamed up or scripted a better way to end your high school career than with a no-hitter in the section final?
Chandler Eden: Definitely not. It was a great way to end it and I was so proud of my team. We started off the season a little shaky, so winning sections was great.
SSM: Was there a specific pitch that you relied on that was working real well for you?
CE: I felt like all of my pitches were working—fastball, curve, and change-up. My curve ball was probably my out pitch, but I used my change as an out pitch against the lefties.
SSM: What were you feeling throughout the game with a no-hitter going and the score tied 0-0 until the 7th inning?
CE: I didn’t even realize that I had a no-hitter until late in the game, and no one was talking about it. I felt some pressure because we weren’t hitting the ball and (Devon) Loomis was throwing real well for Colfax, too. In the final inning, I was real excited and pumped up to get the last three outs.
HONORABLE MENTION
Sydni Scott —The Vintage-Napa senior was a combined 6-for-8 with four runs and seven RBI in the Crushers’ two wins over Pleasant Grove to claim the Div. I section title. For the season, Scott batted .487 and drove in 33 runs.
David Smith —The Elk Grove senior pitched back-to-back complete games in the playoffs to close out the year, shutting out Pleasant Grove 5-0 and downing St. Mary’s 9-1 in the first game of the Div. I Championship Series.
Nia Dorner — Cordova’s senior sprinter recorded the second-fastest 400-meter time in the nation this season to win the CIF state final with a personal-best time of 53.0 seconds. She also finished fourth in the state in the 200 meter final.