Casey Mize no-hits Curve in Double-A debut

CURVE, Pa. -- Erie SeaWolves right-hander and 2018 No. 1 overall draft pick Casey Mize tossed a no-hitter in his first Double-A start, a 1-0 win over the Altoona Curve, on Monday night at Peoples Natural Gas Field.
Mize (Win, 1-0) plunked Curve (11-12) leadoff hitter Jared Oliva with a pitch in the bottom of the first inning, but got the next batter Bralin Jackson to bounce into a 6-4-3 double play that started a streak of 19 consecutive batters retired by Mize.

Bligh Madris worked a two-out walk in the seventh to end the streak, but Mize struck out Logan Hill to end the inning. Mize retired the Curve in order in the final two frames, getting Oliva to pop out to second baseman Sergio Alcántara to end the game.
Mize struck out seven batters, with four coming in the final three innings, and allowed just two baserunners in his first professional complete game.
The SeaWolves (10-10) scored the game's lone run in the top of the fifth. Jake Rogers singled to left to open the inning and moved to second on a wild pitch by Curve starter Cam Vieaux (Loss, 0-2). The next batter, Jose Azocar, beat out a bunt single to set up a first-and-third situation for Chad Sedio. Sedio hit a chopper to Jerrick Suiter , who forced Rogers to stop from heading home for a brief second. Suiter turned and ran to the first base bag to retire Sedio, but Rogers made it home before Suiter's return throw home.
The SeaWolves defense shined behind Mize. With two outs in the third, Adrian Valerio lined a pitch into shallow center, but Seawolves center fielder Derek Hill sprinted in to make a diving grab and take away a base hit. Then with one out in the fifth, Azocar robbed Hunter Owen with a sliding catch on a fly ball to shallow right.
Vieaux fired seven innings of one-run ball, scattering six hits with one strikeout and two walks, but fell on the wrong side of another pitcher's duel. Sean Keselica and Angel German combined for two scoreless innings in relief of Vieaux.
Mize's gem is the first nine-inning individual no-hitter in the history of Peoples Natural Gas Field and the first against the Curve since Akron RubberDucks left-hander Giovanni Soto held Altoona hitless on July 15, 2012 at Canal Park.
It's the sixth minor-league no-hitter this season, fifth at the Double-A level, fourth in the Eastern League and second by the SeaWolves. Mize completed the first individual minor-league no-hitter since Spencer Howard accomplished the feat with the Lakewood BlueClaws against the Kannapolis Intimidators on Sept. 7, 2018.
The Curve and SeaWolves will play the second game of their three-game series Tuesday at 6 p.m. The Curve turn to right-hander Scooter Hightower (0-2, 5.71), who will match up with SeaWolves right-hander Matt Manning (2-0, 1.59).
As always, Tuesday's game is a Two-for-Tuesday presented by Atlantic Broadband featuring 2-for-1 specials on tickets, hot dogs and small popcorn. It's also another Never Waste Old Tickets game, which means any unused tickets from previous Curve seasons can be turned in for a grandstand or bleacher seat to that night's game.
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