Steven Daini pitched a no-hitter and Benicia High’s varsity baseball team ran its winning streak to 11 games in a 14-0 victory over visiting Fairfield on Tuesday.
It was the first varsity no-hitter for Daini, who is 6-0 this year with a 1.53 earned-run average. The senior is 18-2 in his three-year varsity career, ranking him third on Benicia’s all-time list for victories behind Victor Ferrante (class of 2003) with 22 and Craig Bennigson (class of 2005) with 21. Daini has won his past 13 decisions and hasn’t lost since falling to El Camino his sophomore year in the 2012 Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.
“He’s just very quietly won ball games for us for three years,” said Benicia manager Jim Bowles. “He’s had an amazing high school career.”
Daini retired the first seven Falcons he faced before walking a batter to break up his perfect game. He then retired the next eight batters to complete the no-hitter.
“He’s throwing really hard,” Bowles said of Daini, who struck out seven Tuesday. “He’s throwing in the upper 80s right now and is really bringing it. But what’s been his key to success for three years is he’s been very steady. He does not have bad games. He goes right at hitters and lets the defense work for him.”
Benicia’s offense continued its assault on opposing pitching. Eleven different Panthers scored a run or had an RBI, led by Hudson Bishop, whose towering three-run homer to left in the bottom of the third inning made it 10-0. Anthony Fellman went 2-for-3 with three runs and an RBI, and Nate Palmer went 2-for-2 with two runs and two RBI. Jaden Lane and Jared Hanson each scored twice, and sophomore Isiah Saguar stroked an RBI single and is 4-for-5 to start his varsity career.
“Hitting is contagious and that seems to be happening to us right now,” Bowles said. “We’re getting close to playoffs and its nice to see everyone swinging a hot bat.”
Benicia improved to 17-2 overall and 10-0 in the Solano County Athletic Conference. The Panthers play at Fairfield on Thursday.
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