Davenport Northwest pitcher Cooper Thissen had just put the finishing touches on a nearly flawless top of the first inning when he strolled to the plate in the bottom half of the frame. Thissen, who struck out all three hitters he faced on the bump, then added to his strong start.
The Iowa native blasted a pitch over the center-field fence to lead off the bottom of the first inning and give his Iowa team a 1-0 lead. That was just the beginning of a historic and dominant day for the Davenport Northwest left-hander at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Thissen struck out 15 hitters, tossed 5 1/3 no-hit innings and belted a solo home run as his Iowa team tossed a combined no-hitter in a 1-0 win over Sweetwater Valley of Bonita, California. With the win, Iowa will play against the Metro Region champion at noon on Sunday, Aug. 23 (ABC).
“That was probably about as close to a one-man show as you could see,” Davenport Northwest coach Mark Erwin said in a phone interview with the Des Moines Register after the game.
Iowa reliever Anthony Johnson Jr. polished off the no-hitter by retiring the final two hitters of the game to preserve the win and save the no-hitter. He stranded the bases loaded by getting a called strike three on a full count for the final out of the game.
Thissen, though, was the star. The southpaw did everything for the team representing the Midwest. He didn’t allow a hit in 5 1/3 innings of work but had to be pulled for reaching his pitch limit in the last frame. The only blemish on his day was four walks.
Thissen rolled from start to finish, striking out the first five hitters of the game. Thissen’s fastball, clocked by the ESPN broadcast at 74 mph, was the equivalent of a 96 mph fastball from Major League distance.
His home run to lead off the bottom of the first inning was all Iowa needed. Bonita’s pitching staff was nearly as dominant with two pitchers striking out 14 Davenport Northwest hitters. It didn’t matter, thanks to Thissen and his huge day.
“That was amazing,” Thissen said in an on-field interview with ESPN after the game. “Such a great experience.”
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Two Davenport Northwest pitchers combine to toss no-hitter in LLWS win
Reporting by Tommy Birch, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Tommy Birch, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
