GRAMBLING, LA – Down to their final batter at breaking up a no-hit bid, Grambling catcher Tiffany Doss took a cut at a 2-2 offering from Alabama State's Maddie Phelps and missed.
 
As her teammates yelled in jubilation, ASU senior catcher Aleesa Yanez met the senior right hander near the first base line with a warm hug as the rest of the Lady Hornets joined in celebration. 
 
Phelps had done it.
 
The Grass Valley, Calif. native pitched her first collegiate no-hitter, facing just two batters over the minimum amount and the Alabama State softball team run-ruled the Tigers 12-0 in five innings on Friday at Grambling for a SWAC victory.
 
Only two Grambling players reached base, one on a hit by pitch and another by a fielding error, as Phelps worked efficiently through the lineup.
 
Needing just 67 pitches, Phelps struck out six and did not walk a batter.
 
"I pitched four no-hitters back in high school [at Bear River High School], but I've never done this on the collegiate level," said Phelps, who won her conference-leading eighth game.
 
"I focused on each pitch and worked to get ahead in the count.  It didn't feel different from any other game.  I looked at Aleesa [Yanez] and I didn't realize that I had pitched a no-hitter until I saw her jumping up and down.  I thought it was just another strikeout.  It is a pretty cool feeling to know that whatever I did was working and on the other side, the team scored a lot of runs for me to make me comfortable." 
 
Phelps' ERA is lower by nearly three runs thus far from 5.96 in the 2015 season to 3.03 thus far in the 2016 season. 
 
"Being confident and knowing that I can make my pitches move the way that I want them.  I can outsmart the hitters and my focus has to be to win every pitch.    I've kept the game small and I haven't been worried about who's in the other dugout."    
 
The Lady Hornets (12-18 overall, 4-0 SWAC) looked every bit as the SWAC's top hitting team as well by scoring multiple runs in every inning, jumping out to a 2-0 lead after one and tacked on two more in both the second and third innings before adding three more in the fourth and fifth innings.
 
Yanez hit a two-run homer to left center in the fourth while Amira James slugged her first collegiate home run with a shot to center field in the fifth.
 
Laura Aguilar, Valerie Centeno, Charlene Castro and Yanez all had two hits apiece while Castro, Yanez and Carly Evans all had two RBI apiece for ASU, who has now won four of its past five games. 
 
"It was a good way to start the weekend coming off the loss on Wednesday," said coach Chris Steiner-Wilcoxson. 
 
"She was in the zone.  Her movement was effective. Maddie stepped it up and she's really worked hard to overcoming obstacles and battled injury.  She's been that key leader on the mound this year." 
 
Grambling State dropped to 3-17 overall and 1-3 in the SWAC.
 
Up next
The three-game series continues Saturday with a doubleheader scheduled for a noon start.

Live stats for the games can be followed here:  http://www.sidearmstats.com/alasu/softball/
 
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