SAN DIEGO – San Diego State junior pitcher TJ Fondtain added to his growing list of credentials on Friday after tossing the first no-hitter of his collegiate career in the Aztecs' 4-0 victory over Nevada in the opener of a Mountain West series at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
Fondtain came tantalizingly close to a perfect game, retiring 24 consecutive batters before issuing a walk to the Wolf Pack's Taylor Holder to start the ninth.
Unfazed, the SDSU left-hander induced a flyout to Dawson Martin before freezing pinch hitter Jackson Waller on a called third strike, setting the stage for one final at-bat.
On a 2-0 offering from Fondtain, Nolan Wilson lifted a fly ball to deep left field; however, Irvin Weems made a full sprint to his left to make the catch, as the Aztec bench erupted in jubilation.
With that final out, Fondtain (4-2) completed the eighth no-hitter in school history and SDSU's first since Stephen Strasburg accomplished the feat in a 5-0 victory over Air Force on May 8, 2009, in his final home appearance in a Scarlet and Black uniform.
Not to be outdone, Fondtain established a career high with 14 strikeouts, including five straight to start the game. In addition, the Clovis, California, native pitched his second complete-game shutout as a collegian, helping the Aztecs record consecutive whitewashes for the first time since March 9 and March 11, 2014, vs. Nevada (3-0) and at CSUN (12-0).
Fondtain's 14 strikeouts were the most by an SDSU hurler since Bubba Derby fanned 15 batters against Air Force on April 4, 2014.
Over his last six starts, Fondtain has posted a 3-1 record with a 1.07 ERA, allowing five earned runs in a combined 42 innings, posting 49 strikeouts against only nine walks.
The Aztecs (15-19, 9-5 MW) scored all four runs in the bottom of the sixth, highlighted by Cole Carrigg's bases-clearing triple with two outs.
Fondtain was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, advancing on Cade Martinez's sacrifice and Shaun Montoya's double before beating the throw home on a Caden Miller fielder's choice grounder to second.
Poncho Ruiz was also struck by a pitch to load the bases, while Carrigg followed with a deep fly ball to right-center that caromed off the wall as three runners raced home. Although Carrigg was thrown out at the plate trying to stretch the hit into an inside-the-park grand slam, the Scarlet and Black had an insurmountable 4-0 lead and all the momentum.
Along with Fondtain, Wolf Pack starter Kade Morris (3-5) went the distance as well, striking out 11 batters against three hits and no walks in eight innings but absorbed the loss.
Montoya accounted for SDSU's only other hit with a leadoff single in the fourth but was caught stealing to end the inning after Ruiz struck out.
With the victory, the Aztecs remain in second place in the Mountain West behind front-runner San José State (19-15, 12-4 MW), which defeated Fresno State on the road, 2-1, in 10 innings.
San Diego State resumes its series against Nevada on Saturday at 6 p.m. PT. The Aztecs are expected to start left-hander Chris Canada (1-4, 5.40 ERA), while Jason Doktorczyk (2-2, 5.77 ERA) is projected to get the call for the Wolf Pack.
TJ Fondtain Tosses No-Hitter vs. Nevada
