Posted: Feb 09, 2017
Bakersfield College starting pitcher Taylor Burns turned in a solid performance against El Camino College on Thursday night, but it would have taken perfection from the freshman right hander to give BC a chance against Warriors starter Cassius Hamm.
Hamm hurled a complete game no-hitter to carry El Camino to a 4-0 victory in the first game of three-game series at Gerry Collis Field.
The 6-foot-2 sophomore right-handler from Redondo Beach was dominant from start to finish, striking out 16 batters while allowing three walks.
Hamm had at least one strikeout in all nine innings and struck out the side in the second and sixth frames.
"Hamm was the story in this ballgame," BC coach Tim Painto said. "He had two above-average pitches with his fastball and breaking ball. Obviously we didn't figure anything out."
The Warriors scored an unearned run off of Burns in the first and then made it 2-0 an inning later on Trevor Casanova's two-out RBI single.
El Camino added a pair of runs against BC reliever Cain Roberts in the ninth for the final margin of victory.
Burns left the game after seven innings in which he allowed just five hits and one walk.
He retired 14 of the final 18 batters that he faced. One of the Warriors hitters that reached during that stretch did so because of a BC error.
"Burns pitched well, but their guy was much better than we were tonight," Painton said."