SPRINGDALE -- Arkansas Travelers pitcher Jordan Kipper wasn't perfect on a chilly, damp Tuesday night at Arvest Ballpark, but he was pretty darn close.
Kipper, a 23-year-old right-hander from Phoenix, no-hit the Naturals on 108 pitches in Arkansas' 6-0 victory, limiting the Naturals to one base runner, the first one he faced.
Today’s game
Arkansas at NW Arkansas
WHEN 11:05 a.m.
WHERE Arvest Ballpark, Springdale
RADIO KARN-AM, 920, in central Arkansas; KYNG-AM, 1590, in Northwest Arkansas
WEBSITE travs.com, nwanaturals.com
PITCHERS Travelers: Tyler Carpenter (RHP, 0-2, 4.76); Naturals: Matt Strahm (RHP, 2-2, 2.68)
TICKETS $12 super premium, $10 premium, $8 reserved, $7 grass berm.
Northwest Arkansas' Ramon Torres walked on a 3-2 pitch to lead off the bottom of the first, but he was erased one out later when Ryan O'Hearn hit into an inning-ending double play.
That was it.
Kipper ended up facing 27 batters, the minimum a pitcher can face in a nine-inning game, and retired the final 26 batters he faced.
It was the first time the Naturals have been no-hit in their nine years of existence, and it was the first no-hitter thrown by a Travelers' pitcher since 2010 when right-hander Ryan Brasier no-hit Tulsa, winning 4-0.
Kipper (3-2, 3.78 ERA) had allowed 16 earned runs in his previous three starts, spanning 15 innings. But Tuesday night he used a hard sinker to induce ground balls. He also struck out eight.
"I just got back to trusting myself and trusting my stuff," said Kipper, who was a ninth-round pick out of TCU in the 2014 draft. "I think I got back to doing what I do best and that's working down in the zone and allowing my defense to work behind me. Last few times times out I had a few get elevated on me, so just getting back to the emphasis being down."
The closest Northwest Arkansas came to getting a hit came on Mauricio Ramos' long fly to left leading off the eighth. Arkansas' Eric Hinshaw hauled it in with one hand on the wall.
Naturals Manager Vance Wilson credited Kipper's work, but also said his team's approach at the plate wasn't good either.
"He did a good job, moved the ball in and out," Wilson said. "We had a poor approach. Typically that's what happens in a no-hitter. Sloppy in the field. They said he was cutting balls away, so everything was moving. We didn't do a very good job getting the ball up."
Arkansas scored the only run it needed off Naturals starter Kyle Zimmer (0-1) in the first and added another in the second. The Travelers scored one in the seventh, two more in the eighth and another in the ninth.
The Travelers had 11 hits, including three each from Cal Towey and Bo Way. Hinshaw's solo home run in the seventh was the game's only extra base hit.
Sports on 05/18/2016