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No Hitter!

Baseball Chris Kuchta

A Fitting Tribute: Chacin No Hits Illinois Valley in Inspiring Effort

PSC Starter Who Lost His Father Two Weeks Prior Dominates Start to Finish

OGLESBY, Ill. --- Competing in an athletic endeavor with a heavy heart typically goes one of two ways.  Either an athlete is so overcome with grief that, understandably, they are not at their best or they find inspiration in commemorating their effort to whomever they have lost and deliver nothing short of their best.
 
Prairie State freshman pitcher Jose Chacin (Doral H.S.), falls into the later category.
 
Chacin, who's father, Jose Chacin Sr. passed away April 2, took the ball in Game 2 of a doubleheader against Illinois Valley in an unscheduled start and turned in the performance of a lifetime.
 
When the dust had settled and the Gatorade Chacin was doused in dried, the 5-foot-10 right-hander had just delivered the most fitting of tributes.
 
Chacin went the distance, throwing the Pioneers' second no-hitter this season following a 6-0 triumph over the Eagles.
 
Chacin's remarkable outing saw him walk just one while striking out eight.
 
The performance marked the first time in PSC baseball history that the program has witnessed two starting pitchers record no-hitters in the same season.
 
Fellow freshman Alvin Velasquez tossed a no-no against Kishwaukee April 4.
 
The Pioneers (18-12) also triumphed in Game 1, 10-8.
 
PSC head coach Dre Gilmore was certainly glad he handed the ball to Chacin in the nightcap.
 
"Coming off a win in the first game where we used five different pitchers to seal the victory, we did not know who we were going to start in Game 2," Gilmore said.  "We actually made a decision to start someone else and had a late scratch which allowed Chacin to start Game 2.
 
"During the game, Jose was consistently in the (strike) zone and was allowing the defense to make plays behind him.  I think he got into one of those rhythms where nothing else mattered that day.  He was locked in and really focused."
Chacin was so efficient during his outing that not everyone knew he had thrown the Pioneers' second no-hitter of the campaign until the final out was recorded.
 
"That game was going by so fast, three quarters of the coaches did not know there was a no-hitter until the pour of the Gatorade," Gilmore said.  "There's no other kid that deserves this accomplishment more than Jose.  With him losing his Dad just a week before, everyone knew how important this was to him."
 
In his 87-pitch masterpiece, Chacin fired 54 for strikes.  He faced just 25 hitters in the contest.
 
The Pioneers pounded out 14 hits in Game 2 as five Pioneers recorded two or more safeties.
 
Freshman third baseman Luis Romero (Virtual School, PUERTO RICO) went 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run.
 
Freshman designated hitter Logan Tokarz (Oak Forest H.S.) went 2-for-4 with an RBI as did freshman shortstop Nuno Borges (Colegio CK, BRAZIL).
 
Freshman first baseman Kyle Crabtree (Lincoln-Way East H.S.), (2-for-3, run, double) and freshman left fielder Isaiah Spann (John Curtis H.S.), (2-for-4) all made heavy contributions.
 
Game 2 witnessed PSC outhit the Eagles 11-10 as five Pioneer defensive miscues made the contest tighter than it should have been.
 
At the plate, the Pioneers produced three multi-hit efforts led by freshman second baseman Jesser Contreras' 3-for-4, two-RBI, three-run effort. 
 
Romero swung his way to another multi hit day, going 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI.
 
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Players Mentioned

Logan Tokarz

#42 Logan Tokarz

INF
6' 4"
Sophomore
Kyle Crabtree

#35 Kyle Crabtree

INF
6' 4"
Freshman
Nuno Borges

#18 Nuno Borges

INF
5' 10"
Freshman
Alvin Velasquez

#11 Alvin Velasquez

RHP
5' 10"
Freshman
Jesser Contreras

#2 Jesser Contreras

C
5' 10"
Freshman
Isaiah Spann

#5 Isaiah Spann

OF
6' 2"
Freshman
Jose Chacin

#9 Jose Chacin

RHP
5' 10"
Freshman
Luis Romero

#33 Luis Romero

INF
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Logan Tokarz

#42 Logan Tokarz

6' 4"
Sophomore
INF
Kyle Crabtree

#35 Kyle Crabtree

6' 4"
Freshman
INF
Nuno Borges

#18 Nuno Borges

5' 10"
Freshman
INF
Alvin Velasquez

#11 Alvin Velasquez

5' 10"
Freshman
RHP
Jesser Contreras

#2 Jesser Contreras

5' 10"
Freshman
C
Isaiah Spann

#5 Isaiah Spann

6' 2"
Freshman
OF
Jose Chacin

#9 Jose Chacin

5' 10"
Freshman
RHP
Luis Romero

#33 Luis Romero

Freshman
INF

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