Milwaukee Twirls First No-Hitter in Program History

MILWAUKEE -- Freshman Alex McIntosh and senior Mike Schneider combined to throw the first no-hitter in program history as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee topped the University of Wisconsin-Superior, 7-0, Tuesday afternoon at Henry Aaron Field.

The Panthers (15-9) jumped out to a 3-0 lead over the Yellowjackets (3-14) in the first inning and let the pitching do the rest, with the duo combining for just a pair of walks and 13 strikeouts on the day.

McIntosh (2-1) played the main role on short notice, not even knowing he was going to start until a pregame injury to the planned starter roughly 25 minutes before the game was set to begin.

"I found out right before we started," McIntosh said. "I had thrown a little bit before the game, so I was pretty much ready to go. I just noticed guys were getting out – good defense. The thought of a no-hitter didn't even enter my mind."

He worked the first seven innings and was brilliant. He walked just one and struck out 11 batters, throwing 93 pitches.

"It's good to see Mike get back on the mound after what he has dealt with," McIntosh said. "It was good to go out there and compete and win a baseball game. It feels great to be a part of something like this."

Schneider came on in the eighth, making his first appearance since the end of the 2013 campaign after missing all of 2014 following Tommy John surgery.

"I knew the no-hitter was there and I was pretty excited to get in there," Schneider said. "I didn't feel like there was any other pressure besides what was on hand, just closing the game and getting McIntosh that no-hitter."

The first pitch he threw gave the bid a scare, but senior Ryan McShane made a nice back-handed play at second base on the comebacker up the middle.

"When the ball was hit, it was hit well, but I knew McShane would get there," Schneider said. "He's a playmaker and I knew he would get the job done."

He got the final six outs, with a nice play in the hole by sophomore shortstop Eric Solberg to open the ninth. The final two outs came easier, getting a fly ball to center and a strikeout to end it.

"It feels good. McIntosh should get all the credit," Schneider said. "He did a good job setting the tone in the game and pitched lights-out the whole time. It made my job easier."

The Panthers jumped ahead in the first inning, grabbing the lead on a three-run home run off the bat of junior Mitch Ghelfi. Senior Tell Taylor was the only player with more than one hit on the day, finishing 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored. Senior Sam Koenig did pick up a hit to extend his hitting streak to 24 games.

Up next, UWM heads to Iowa tomorrow for a battle against the nationally-ranked Hawkeyes. Game time was moved up to 3:30 pm CT (from 6 p.m.) to try and get the game in ahead of the forecasted rain.

(Release courtesy of Milwaukee athletics media relations)