Parker hurls no-no as UHV blanks Wiley in season opener

Junior left-hander Brady Parker wanted to make a statement on Friday.

The Victoria East product did that, retiring the final 16 batters in order to pick up a no-hitter and a 10-0 win over Wiley University at Riverside Stadium.

It was the first UHV no-hitter since Jonathan Jimenez and Nathan Pena combined for one in 2018, and the first solo no-hitter since Steven Ellis did so against Texas College in 2016.

Parker said he knew he was in a groove after the first inning when he struck out a pair of Wildcats and set them down in order to open the game.

"The plays we made and how comfortable I was on the mound," Parker said, "I was just rolling. Everything felt good."

The lone blemish on Parker's ledger was a walk in the second inning. But he rallied to strike out nine of the next 16 batters to put a definitive stamp on the performance.

"I just knew I had to flush the walk away," Parker said. "I had to flush anything that didn't go my way and keep doing what I was."

After a long wait during the Jaguars (1-0) six-run fifth inning, though, head coach Jonathan Stavinoha wasn't sure how much longer he'd let Parker go.

Parker then struck out the first two in the sixth before a groundout wrapped up the frame.

"Secret's out; Brady Parker has a live arm from the left side," Stavinoha said. "We got to watch it all fall. … Brady came in and had all his stuff working. Ran it up to 95 (MPH), sat low-to-mid 90s all night. He was all around the zone."

Parker didn't have to wait long for his offense to pick him up, either.

Senior catcher Hal Perez blasted his first home run of the year in the bottom of the first, a two-run shot to left-center field following a leadoff single by DeeAndre Torres. Then, newcomers Cristian Garcia and Terry Burrel III had RBIs in the third to make it 4-0, Garcia's on a double to left-center and Burrel's on a single to right.

Garcia and Perez each added their third RBIs of the game during the marathon fifth with Garcia adding a second double to his name, this one of the two-run variety.

Garcia finished the game 2-for-3 with three RBIs, two doubles and a walk, while Perez was 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs.

In total, five Jaguars tallied RBIs with Juan Perez providing two and Rafael Gutierrez providing one. Six batters recorded a hit for UHV.

"Right out of the gate, we saw it," Stavinoha said. "Dee hit the single, then Hal came in with the home run. Everybody kind of fed off each other and that's what JagBall is all about."

UHV and Wiley (0-1) will wrap up the three-game series on Saturday with a noon doubleheader at Riverside Stadium.