Fredericksburg Nationals Dominate Mudcats with Historic No-Hitter

A perfect game has been a rare gem in Minor League Baseball, with the last occurrence outside of the Complex Leagues happening nearly seven years ago when the now-defunct Kane County Cougars achieved the feat in 2017. Travis Sykora and the Single-A Fredericksburg Nationals came tantalizingly close to joining that exclusive club on Friday night.

This marks the first nine-inning no-hitter for the Fredericksburg Nationals since relocating to Fredericksburg and the second in franchise history following a seven-inning gem in 2021. With the win, Fredericksburg Nationals improves to 25-14 (60-45), while Carolina falls to 21-17 (62-41).

Cristhian Vaquero ignited the Fredericksburg Nationals' offense with a manufactured run in the first inning and a solo home run in the third, extending the lead to 4-0. Elijah Green added to the advantage with a two-run homer in the fourth, putting the Nats up 6-0.

Meanwhile, pitcher RHP Travis Sykora was in complete command on the mound. The 20-year-old tossed six perfect innings, baffling the Mudcats' potent lineup. Sykora's stellar performance set a new career high, culminating in a four-strikeout streak to match his season-best of 10 strikeouts over 6.0 innings.

Travis Sykora earned the win, improving his record to 3-3 with an ERA of 2.42, while Josh Knoth took the loss for Carolina (3-6).

Sykora had previously pitched five scoreless, no-hit innings twice this season. In his previous start against the Lynchburg Hillcats, he threw five more no-hit innings in another start on July 9. The Nationals’ No. 13 prospect is expected to climb the rankings in MLB Pipeline’s upcoming update, showcasing his dominance again.

Angel Roman continued the dominance from the bullpen, retiring the side in order in the seventh inning. Although he surrendered a leadoff walk in the eighth, breaking up the perfect game bid, Roman struck out the next three batters to preserve the no-hitter.

The Fredericksburg Nationals added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth before handing the ball to Merrick Baldo with a chance to clinch the historic feat. Despite issuing a walk and allowing a run to score, Baldo ultimately sealed the deal with a strikeout of Filippo Di Turi, securing the no-hitter for the FredNats.

The Fredericksburg Nationals will host a doubleheader today. Alex Clemmey will make his home debut in game one against Josh Timmerman, followed by a matchup between Travis Sthele and Bryan Rivera. Both games are scheduled to start at 5:05 PM.