Nola no-hits El Paso for 2018's 3rd no-no

The no-hitters just keep on coming. Vancouver's Aaron Nola outdueled El Paso's Jonathan Gray, tossing the DMBL's third no-hitter of the 2018 season.

The third no-hitter matches a league record set in 2014 and repeated in 2015 and is the 21st no-hitter in league history. Of the league's 21 no-hitters, 10 have come in the past five seasons and 15 have been accomplished since 2008. Vancouver joins San Francisco, Hillsborough and the former Las Vegas as the only franchises with two no-hitters.  Johnny Cueto had the Iron Fist's first no-no in 2015.

Nola struck out 9 and walked 2 - both one-out walks in each of the first two innings - setting down the final 22 batters en route to a 1-0 shutout in front of the home crowd. The 6'2" right-hander threw 121 pitches, 75 of which were for strikes (.620), and finished with a Game Score of 94, among the season's best.

Nola, who turned 25 on June 4, improved to 8-4 and lowered his ERA to 3.31.

Gray pitched well enough to win but was saddled with the loss, dropping to 2-7, with a 4.82 ERA. He struck out 10 and scattered 5 hits and a run on 100 pitches over 7 innings. Edwin Diaz finished up, pitching the 9th.

The only scoring came quietly in the 5th inning. Alex Avila led off with a double to right center, took 3rd on a groundout to second by Matt Kemp and scored on Jake Lamb's groundout to third. The Iron Fist had threatened an inning earlier. Charlie Blackmon singled but was caught stealing ahead of a double by Jean Segura, who advanced to third on a groundout before J.D. Martinez struck out to end the inning. But that was about the only other serious threat by any team in this pitching duel.

Vancouver picked up Nola in the 7th round of the 2017 draft (108th overall) -- just ahead of left-handers Matt Moore (Allentown) and Alex Wood (Sardine City) -- and protected him this past offseason.

Nola has been the No. 2 starter in the Iron Fist rotation, behind James Paxton and is probably the most heralded pitcher to throw a no-hitter. The previous two this season were less than expected gems thrown by back-of-the-rotation starters. Ervin Santana, Livingston's No. 4 starter, and Zach Davies, the fifth starter in San Francisco, combined with Hector Neris, on the season's first two no-no's.