Moose Jaw 18U AAA Canucks ace Kaleb Waller had already put together an impressive season in Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League action heading into play on Wednesday night.
Now he has one of the most impressive accomplishments in baseball to his credit.
Waller threw a no-hitter against the Regina White Sox in Regina on Wednesday, needing only 78 pitches to get through six innings, striking out seven and walking a pair along the way.
Thing is, Regina’s Takeo Cookson was almost his equal on the night -- allowing three hits and striking out five over seven innings -- and that led to one of the rarest occurrences in the sport.
A no-hitter that still results in a loss.
The Canucks ran into some difficulty defensively in the bottom of the second inning when the White Sox lead-off hitter reached on an error, stole second, went to third on the overthrow on the steal and then scored on another error on the next play.
Waller got out of the inning with a double play, but the damage was done.
Regina had a 1-0 lead, and that would hold up as the final score.
Moose Jaw managed to get runners on base in the third and fourth innings, but couldn’t get into scoring position before Cookson escaped each time.
Waller, meanwhile, was lights out the rest of the way, allowing a single walk in the bottom of the fifth inning as his only other baserunner on the night.
The 18-year-old right-handed pitcher has been solid all season, having allowed three earned runs or fewer in seven of his eight starts this season. In fact, if not for a rough nine-run outing on June 5, Waller would have seen his earned run average hovering around the 2.50 range after last night’s contest.
As it stands, Waller carries a 4.07 ERA and 1.60 walks and hits per inning pitched (WHIP) into the Canucks game against the Regina Athletics at Ross Wells Park tonight.
Waller has also pitched two games for the Moose Jaw Miller Express, having allowed two runs on three hits in two innings of work.
He’s signed on to play for the Kankakee College Cavaliers of the National Junior College Athletic Association beginning this fall.
Moose Jaw is now 2-12 on the season and after their contest tonight are back on the field for a doubleheader in Martensville on Sunday against the Sask5 Giants.
