Mendoza flirts with no-hitter in Omaha win

Luis Mendoza
(File photo: Lee Warren)

Oklahoma City, OK – Luis Mendoza threw seven no-hit innings as Omaha downed Oklahoma City, 7-1, Saturday night in the third of a four-game set at Bricktown Ballpark. The Storm Chasers stopped a two-game slide to lift their record to 49-41 and increase their lead over Memphis to 1.5 games in the PCL American North after the Redbirds fell at Round Rock.

Mendoza opened the eighth inning by issuing a walk to the leadoff man, J.R. Towles, his fourth of the night. Anderson Hernandez then looped a base hit into right-center field to spoil the no-hit bid and spell the end of the evening for the All-Star right-hander. Luis Aquino was the last Omaha hurler to toss a no-hitter – he did so on June 20, 1988.
Third baseman Irving Falu made two sensational defensive plays in the first four innings to help keep the RedHawks hitless while Mendoza helped his own cause by initiating an inning-ending double play in the sixth.

Mendoza was charged with one unearned run on the lone hit he allowed while striking out five to earn his sixth win of the season. Ironically, the last no-hitter thrown in the PCL was by Mendoza on August 14, 2009 when he was with OKC as a member of the Texas Rangers organization. Jeremy Jeffress tossed two hitless, scoreless innings to close out the victory as Omaha evened its road record at 23-23.

Falu's two-out single in the second inning brought home Kila Ka'aihue with the game's first run and things stayed that way until the visitors scored six times in the fifth to break the game open.

David Lough delivered a two-run bases loaded single that was followed by a Clint Robinson RBI single that lengthened the lead to 4-0. Mike Aviles then lined an RBI double before a Kila Ka'aihue sacrifice fly that pushed the advantage to six and chased OKC starter Gustavo Chacin from the hill.