Visiting Fairfield (4-2, 3-2 Greater Miami Conference) run-ruled Middletown (2-4, 2-4 GMC) 12-0 in five innings and Fox was a factor from either end of the plate.
The Indian junior righty singled three times and doubled, driving in two of the team’s dozen runs. Only two Middie batters reached base.
“My team does a whole lot to help me with this,” Fox said. “I know they’re behind me the whole way. I have faith that I can go out and pitch my game. And if I make a mistake, I know they’re there to back me up.”
According to Fairfield coach Brenda Stieger, Fox needed to throw 130 pitches in each of her previous two wins. She needed just 60 pitches to record the no-hitter against Middletown.
“She’s pitched a lot of innings lately. She went extra innings (Tuesday) night against Loveland and she pitched against Mason on Monday, so I didn’t know how fresh she was going to be today, but she looked good and her pitches were working real well,” Stieger said.
Middletown’s Jessie Gebhart drew a walk to start the fourth inning to break up a perfect game. Kaitlyn McIntosh beat out a throw to first in the fifth inning but a fielding error was charged to Fairfield’s third baseman on the play.
“We didn’t hit at all, but that’s a good team. Brenda always has them playing well. We just couldn’t get any hits going against Jaisa,” Middletown coach Van Sams said.
Stieger said she knew Middletown was dinged up on the mound. Regular starter Sarah Owens was held out because of an undisclosed injury and Sierra Groves missed Tuesday’s game against Princeton due to illness.
Groves pitched for the Middies on Wednesday, but gave up 12 hits.
“Sierra hasn’t pitched much this year, so she’s somewhat rusty. But Fairfield is a good hitting team. You get your pitches up in the strike zone and they’re gonna hit you,” Sams said.
Fairfield scored three runs in the first, three more in the second, exploded for five runs in the third inning and then scored another run in the fourth.
Allison Hurst doubled, reached base on two errors and scored three times. Shelby Doan was Fairfield’s only other multiple-hits batter going 2-for-3 with three RBIs.
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