Ste. Genevieve, Mo. (KFMO) – Maddox Basler threw a no-hitter as the North County Raiders won their first district title in a decade.
Basler struck out eight batters and faced three batters over the minimum while holding the Herculaneum Blackcats hitless in the 7-0 victory.
Basler ran into trouble in the top of the first inning but quickly escaped a bases-loaded jam by inducing a groundout. He says he made a key adjustment and settled in after that.
Once the adjustment was made, Basler retired 15 straight batters.
Ryan Cochrane broke that stretch with a lead-off walk in the top of the seventh inning, but Basler induced yet another ground out, this time a double play and the Raiders were an out away.
The sophomore pitcher struck out Jackson LaPlante to end the game and begin the celebration. Basler says it’s special to win the district title with the group they have.
North County (23-10) got on the board in the bottom of the second thanks to a single from Kayson Moore that scored Kendrick Simon. In the next inning, Will Weible lifted a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Jaxson Hahn.
A four run bottom of the fourth inning helped ease the pressure of a close game and the Raiders added another run in the home half of the fifth inning.
It is the first district title in a decade and first 20-plus win season for North County in over two decades. Raider head coach Jake Donze says the team came together from the beginning and that led to the success.
North County will host the Cape Notre Dame Bulldogs in the Class 4 Sectional on Tuesday, May 26 at 4:00pm. Coverage on AM-1240 KFMO will begin at 3:30pm.