Babcock throws no-hitter in Philomath’s 20-0 rout at Cascade

Philomath junior southpaw Caleb Babcock threw a no-hitter and struck out 14 of the 16 batters he faced in a 20-0 rout Monday at Cascade.

Babcock allowed just one base runner in the game — a walk in the first inning. The only out that wasn’t a strikeout occurred in the fourth inning when a Cascade hitter managed to put the ball in play. Second baseman Nate Bennett fielded it and threw to Brady Russell at first for the out. Otherwise, it was nothing but strikeouts — 12 swinging and two looking. He threw just 68 pitches in the game with 45 of those being strikes.

Babcock received more than enough run support with Philomath’s bats operating at a high level. The Warriors had 17 hits and every starter had at least one hit. Sophomore AJ Altishin had a career game with a 3-for-3 effort that included a double and four RBIs. Senior Joe Barnes also went 3 for 3 and drove in three runs. Russell went 2 for 3, junior Rocco De La Rosa was 2 for 4 with two RBIs and senior Kayson Olsen finished 2 for 4 with a double. Senior Grant Niemann had a double and three RBIs. Babcock also hit a double.

The Warriors are tied for first place in the Oregon West and have rankings of No. 3 by the OSAA and No. 7 in the most-recent OSAAtoday coaches poll. Philomath extended its winning streak to eight.

Philomath (14-2-1 overall, 7-0 Oregon West) will play at home Wednesday against the Cougars (6-8, 2-5) for the second game of the series before it finishes up Thursday back at Cascade.