Gulfport tosses no-hitter during opening of million-dollar renovated ballpark
A classic pitcher’s duel unfolded in front of a packed crowd at the park affectionately known as “The Herb” in Gulfport on Tuesday.
The Admirals unveiled their newly renovated baseball stadium in the long-awaited home opener and gave the fans a treat by tossing a combined no-hitter against Ocean Springs.
Pitchers Josh Lee and Cooper Garrison threw seven innings of no-hit baseball in the 7-2 victory over the Greyhounds.
Ocean Springs could only dent the scoreboard in the third inning with a pair of runs scored off two errors, a walk, a hit by pitch and a wild pitch.
Outside of the one rough inning, right-handed starter Lee had a strong outing in front of a crowd that included coaches from Southeastern Louisiana.
“My fastball and curveball were working for me,” Lee said after the game. “It feels pretty good, (the no-hitter). I like it.”
Lee struck out 12 Greyhounds in five innings, and Garrison struck out four of the six batters he faced to end the night.
“On the pitching side, Josh (Lee) was great other than the one inning he struggled,” Gulfport coach Jamie McMahon said. “But the other innings he was striking them out. He was pitching well.”
Gulfport batted around in the fifth inning and scored all seven of its runs in the frame.
On the other side, Southern Miss commit McCarty English was pitching a gem until getting ran in the fifth. He pitched four near-perfect innings before allowing Gulfport’s first hit of the game in the fifth.
“I was really feeling my breaking ball,” McCarty said. “But they started running a couple hits together and then I kind of lost it. They took advantage of it.”
It was a fitting night for a historical performance as it was the game at the new-look baseball facility. The softball/baseball complex received a $1.1 million renovation that was funded by the school system and private donations.
According to athletic director Bryan Caldwell, a number of former athletes who wanted the upgrades stepped in with donations. The baseball stadium replaced the metal bleachers with a new grandstand and a scorer’s box. The softball stadium received two grandstands that are filled completely with chairback seating.
“We’re really proud and excited about what we have right now,” Caldwell said. “We think it’s second-to-none.”
The renovation has been in the works for several years now. McMahon expressed excitement for the baseball facility on opening night, citing the impact it will have on the program.
“I love it, finally seeing what we’ve done the last seven or eight years, seeing the plan we’ve had put in place come to fruition,” McMahon said. “It was awesome just to come out and look at it and have a lot of people out here. ... It’s one of the top-notch facilities, to me, in the state. I think it could have a big impact for us each game out.”
The players are also thrilled about the park and the effect it could have on attendance.
“I love it, it’s awesome,” Lee said. “It’s great. It’s going to have a big impact. I think it’s going to bring a lot more people in.”
The Admirals are off to a 7-5 start to the year but have a perfect 1-0 record at the “New Herb.”
