MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — RHP Drew Horn threw the fifth no-hitter in program history with 13 strikeouts, leading MTSU to a 5-0 victory over Oakland on Sunday afternoon.

Middle Tennessee (9-5) and Oakland (3-14) were locked in a pitcher's duel early, with Horn recording seven strikeouts in the first four innings and allowing just one walk.

The Blue Raiders got on the board first in the bottom of the fourth. Brett Rogers and Matt Wolfe reached on singles, and Keaton Ray, back in the lineup for the first time in two weeks, smashed a double over the head of the left fielder to score Rogers for the game's first run. Cale Vinson followed, grounding out to score Wolfe from third. Eston Snider grounded into a fielder's choice to score Ray, putting the score at 3-0 heading into the fifth.

The pitchers continued their duel, with Horn striking out two more hitters in the next two frames, bringing his total to nine. He returned to the mound in the seventh and struck out the side in order on 11 pitches, earning an eruption of applause from the Blue Raider faithful.

MTSU added two more runs in the seventh. Tyler Minnick singled up the middle, increasing the lead to 5-0 heading into the eighth.

Horn breezed through the eighth inning with ease, throwing 10 pitches and adding his 13th and final strikeout.

Heading into the final frame, the crowd's energy grew as Horn took the mound. The first batter popped up to second base for the first out. The second batter grounded a hard ball to third baseman Brett Vondohlen, who made a solid play for the second out. The final batter stepped to the plate, and on the second pitch of the at-bat, hit a blooper to center field. Eston Snider got a late jump but sprinted in and dove for the ball. He caught it in his glove and threw his arms in the air to celebrate Horn's incredible feat.

Horn's final line: nine innings pitched, no hits allowed, no runs, and two walks. It was just the second nine-inning complete-game no-hitter in program history, and the first since Chandler Alderman's eight-inning no-hitter last season.

By the Numbers
13: Horn struck out 13 batters, the most of his career. Six were looking.
5: This was just the fifth no-hitter in program history and the second by one pitcher in nine innings.
1.08: Horn lowered his season ERA to 1.08, the best on the team.
2: Keaton Ray, back in the lineup after missing two weeks with a back injury, went 2-for-2 with two doubles and an RBI.

Up Next
MTSU will return to Reese Smith Jr. Field on Tuesday, March 11, to face Tennessee Tech at 6 p.m.

The Skipper Speaks (Jerry Meyers)
"Outstanding job by Drew today. We scored enough runs to give him some leeway as the game went on. That's a testament to how hard Drew works. He's worked on the mental toughness of trying to throw a no-hitter, whether or not he realized it. There's extra stress on executing pitches, and he handled that really well."

Player Perspective (Drew Horn)
"When Eston left his feet for that last out, I was like 'I hope he comes down with that ball,'" Horn said with a big laugh. "That was all adrenaline in the last inning. I sprinted out there from the dugout. In the first inning, I didn't throw my slider in the zone very well, but after that, I started to get the feel for it."