Avon, OH – A masterful, historic Saturday outing from Jack Eisenbarger paved the way for the Lake Erie lefty to win the Frontier League Pitcher of the Week Award.
Throwing a complete game no-hitter is a feat only few pitchers have accomplished. It takes poise, grit, and focus extended over nine grueling innings of work. But for Jack Eisenbarger, this was not his first rodeo.
On March 1, 2019, Eisenbarger tossed a doubleheader shortened 7-inning no-hitter against Bemidji State as a junior at Rockhurst University. His gem would be the first no-hitter in Rockhurst baseball history. His line: 7 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 10 K on 116 pitches.
Eisenbarger’s outing on Saturday, June 8 against the Trois-Rivieres Aigles was even more impressive. He tossed two perfect innings before surrendering a leadoff walk in the third. Eisenbarger would strike out the next two batters before getting out of the inning with a flyout.
In the 4th, he ran into a bit of trouble, walking two men on, warranting a mound visit from pitching coach Jonathan Albaladejo. Few words were said, rather it was a soft reset and a chance for the Crushers starter to take a deep breath. Eisenbarger would set down the last two outs and get out of the jam.
From there, it was open road for the lefty.
Eisenbarger would set down the order in the 5th and 6th, then induce a double play in the 7th after a leadoff walk to end the inning. That’s when it started to feel real, Eisenbarger mentioned in a postgame interview, and his leadoff walk in the 7th would be the last Aigles batter to reach base.
The most important aspect of his outing was Eisenbarger’s efficiency, coming into the 9th inning at less than 90 pitches. Nobody warming in the bullpen in a 2-0 game meant that the 9th inning was the responsibility of one man.
On his 100th pitch, Eisenbarger rolled a ground ball to third base that Logan Thomason scooped up and threw to first to log out number three and finish the job on the first no-hitter in Lake Erie Crushers history.
Eisenbarger’s final line: 9 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 7 K on 100 pitches
Eisenbarger lowered his season ERA to 2.25, solidifying himself as Lake Erie’s ace. He currently ranks 3rd in the Frontier League with 39 strikeouts and 7th in ERA.
The Lake Erie Crushers currently sit at 18-9, .5 game back of first place in the Frontier League West standings. The purple and green also lead the Frontier League in Team ERA (3.07) and rank 2nd in Team WHIP (1.22) as they head to Schaumburg for a three game series beginning on Tuesday, June 11.
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