April 14, 2002

Box Score

Kingston, R.I. - Junior righthander Kaila Holtz (North Vancouver, British Columbia) fired her third career no-hitter and senior third baseman Scooter Wheeler (Kingston, Calif.) tied her own school record with two home runs Sunday as Massachusetts blanked Rhode Island 6-0 for its 18th straight softball victory and 37th consecutive in Atlantic 10 Conference play.

The Minutewomen (33-10 / 12-0 A-10), going after their eighth Atlantic 10 crown in a row, beat fourth-place Rhode Island (15-21 / 6-6 A-10) for the 22nd straight time and drew within six wins of the school record for consecutive victories (24), a mark they tied just last year.

Holtz (13-5) tossed her second no-hitter of the season, marred only by back-to-back walks in the first inning and by errors in the third and seventh. She didn't allow a runner to reach second base after the first inning.

Meanwhile Wheeler, the 2001 conference Player of the Year, ripped a two-run home run in the first and a solo shot in the third, equalling a school record for home runs in a game that she already shares with three others.

The Minutewomen, who tied the team mark with three dingers, jumped out to a 3-0 first-inning lead on back-to-back homers by Wheeler and junior first baseman Brandi Cross (Diamond Bar, Calif.). Wheeler made it 4-0 in the third, and senior Ashley Bakken (Phoenix, Ariz.) smacked a two-run double in the sixth.

Bakken went 2-for-3 Sunday and 5-for-9 as UMass swept the three-game series. Sophomore catcher Jamie Cahalan (Mesa, Ariz.) also went 2-for-3 Sunday and 4-for-7 in the series, and Wheeler went 5-for-12 over the three game set.

UMass returns to action Wednesday, April 17 with a 3:00 p.m., game at Boston College.