AURORA | Tanner Thomas’ signing with the University of Utah must look better to the Utes by the day.
A few days after finalizing his long-awaited scholarship offer from the Pac-12 school, the Grandview senior right-handed pitcher notched a five-inning no-hitter in the Wolves’ 11-0 Centennial League victory over visiting Arapahoe Thursday.
Thomas overcame two errors behind him with seven strikeouts against just one walk and sailed through five innings on his way to his third victory of the season. On the other side, Grandview pounded out 14 hits and scored five times in the bottom of the fifth inning to bring the game to an end with the 10-run mercy rule.
Zach Starcher finished 3-for-3 and scored three times, Sean Kennedy drove in three runs and Eric Mingus, Keifer Glau and Ben Marshall also recorded three hits for Grandview, which won for the seventh time in its past eight games.
Adding his effort against Arapahoe to a complete-game shutout in his previous start against Cherokee Trail on April 24, Thomas has yielded just three hits and struck out 17 hitters and not allowed a run in his last 12 innings. He had a much better showing than his first outing against Arapahoe, when he was tagged for eight runs — six earned — on six hits in the Wolves’ 12-8 loss to Arapahoe on April 8.
Coach Dean Adams’ Grandview team has lost only once since then going into the regular season finale at 2 p.m. Saturday against Mullen. The Wolves moved to 10-8 overall and they sit third in the Centennial League standings at 9-4 with a chance to finish in a tie for second if they beat Mullen and Arapahoe loses to Smoky Hill.
Grandview is solidly within the top 32 in 5A wild card points, which all but assures it of a berth in the May 10 district playoffs.
Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. Facebook: Aurora Prep Sentinel
GRANDVIEW 11, ARAPAHOE 0 (5 inn.)
Score by innings (r-h-e):
Arapahoe 000 00 — 0 0 2
Grandview 120 35 — 11 14 2
GRANDVIEW (ab-r-h-rbi)
Sean Kennedy 3-0-2-3, Brooks Adams 4-1-1-1, Tyler Odorisio 3-0-0-0, Ben Marshall 3-2-2-0, Zach Starcher 3-3-3-1 Eric Mingus 3-2-2-2, Keifer Glau 3-2-2-1, Vincent Armstrong 3-0-1-1, Brendan Hays 3-1-1-1. Totals 28-11-14-10. Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so): Tanner Thomas (W, 5-0-0-0-1-7).
2B — Grandview: Brooks Adams, Ben Marshall, Zach Starcher; 3B — Grandview: Sean Kennedy.