Local newspaper and school are counting baseball team with a fifth straight no-hitter, but the Cal-Hi Sports state record book will count the streak as over after 27 2/3 innings.
Sonoma Academy of Santa Rosa is the team in question. Entering its game on Tuesday at home against Rincon Valley Christian of Santa Rosa, it had four straight no-hitters, including three in mercy-rule shortened five-inning games.
It was reported on our site on Monday that there is no category kept for consecutive no-hitters by a team, but that four in a row may be the state record.
In Tuesday’s game, Cal-Hi Sports was represented by longtime correspondent Harold Abend. He initially thought the streak had ended with a fifth-inning infield hit, but in talking with a reporter there from the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat they agreed that it could be called an error. According to Abend, later in the inning there was a roller toward the third baseman in which a bare-handed grab was not made. Both he and the reporter agreed at the time that it was a hit and a tweet was sent out that the streak was over.
After the game, however, Sonoma Academy head coach Dave Cox and the school’s official scorekeeper said it was another no-hitter. The Santa Rosa Press-Democrat also since then has decided to go with the school’s official scorekeeper and reported on Wednesday morning that the streak continued with a fifth straight no-hitter in Sonoma Academy’s 3-0 win. In this reported no-hitter, Dylan De La Montana was the one again doing the pitching and at least this one went seven innings.
Abend called the Cal-Hi Sports office after the game and reported that he talked to the plate umpire as well, who said he thought the play in question was a hit and not an error. Abend also stands by his initial ruling of it being a hit.
In the 30-plus years of doing California state records, schools have to be trusted to report accurate records. But there have been instances in which someone like Abend, or Cal-Hi Sports editor Mark Tennis or late founder Nelson Tennis personally witnessed a possible record-breaking achievement. In those instances, it’s always been the policy of going with our own eyes and not the school. It would be the same if there was a reporter on hand from a newspaper or web site who witnessed something that did not match what the school reports. If there is a conflicting total or report, it’s the lower total that is always used.
The bottom line on Wednesday morning is that in the Cal-Hi Sports state record book the Sonoma Academy streak will be considered over at 27 2/3 innings. It doesn’t matter what the school says in this instance or that the newspaper is now reporting it. The school also has reported it as another no-hitter on its MaxPreps page. The no-hit “streak” will continue to be monitored and it will be interesting to see how much publicity it generates from outside the area.
It’s still a great achievement for Sonoma Academy to have four straight no-hitters and 27 2/3 no-hit innings. Can’t question that, but we have a feeling that not crediting a fifth in a row is going to be met with some spirited reaction.
6 Comments
when the opposing team calls it an error as well (which they did) it’s an error.
Rincon Valley Christian reported it as a no-hitter. It still says No=hitter at Max Preps by BOTH teams.
Sad commentary on this website that you are bigger than the game.
You do realize that umpires have absolutely nothing to do with official scoring. Dave Cox is one of the most respected men in Sonoma County when it comes to high school sports. He has seen more games and commentated on tv for numerous of these games in multiple sports. He would in no way sacrifice the integrity of the game for a high school record. The tone of your article and the fact that you decide to point out what the umpire thinks is both immature and disrespectful. What a shame that you all feel bigger than the game. Congrats to Sonoma Academy on a great accomplishment and shame on calhi sports for trying to take the spotlight.
Really Cal Hi Sports
You are the authority on nothing. You are a great outlet for high school. Don’t put your self in the judgement business. If at the end of a game you saw a fly ball hit fair when it was called foul and determined the outcome of a game, would you then reverse a score with your before mentioned policy.
Don’t discredit your success by being
ignorant.
This did not determine the outcome of a game. This is about state records. If Sonoma Academy wants to apply for a national record, good luck to them. It’s not currently a category in that book. It’s not in the state record book, either. We were the ones who brought it up as a possible state record, did some research on it and wrote a story about it. We have policies about accepting or not accepting totals that have been arrived at through 35 years of doing this work. We can still choose not to even include this as a new category, but probably will and will probably put it in with an asterisk with details about the fifth game.
It got such big news it was good enough for CBS5 to cover.
The Rincon Valley Christian Coach has posted that it is a no-hitter on his page on Max Preps.
What is wrong with this picture?