Mighty Mussels trio flexes for nine-inning no-no

The pressure of a no-hitter can be such that not realizing one is in progress might be more beneficial than not. And that's how it went for Hunter McMahon, who got the final three outs of Single-A Fort Myers' no-no ... even if he didn't know what he had done.

With David Festa leading the charge with a career-high 11 strikeouts over six innings, McMahon and fellow reliever Jaylen Nowlin combined to wrap up the fifth no-hitter in franchise history with a 3-0 win over visiting Palm Beach.

That’s a no-hitter win for your Mighty Mussels!! @FLBlue Players of the Game goes to the pitchers - Festa, Nowlin, & McMahon. pic.twitter.com/p3mP51rSMa

— Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (@MightyMussels) May 11, 2022

The no-hitter was the sixth in the Minors this season and the Mighty Mussels' second in 27 games going back to last year. The club tossed a seven-inning no-no in the penultimate game of the 2021 campaign.

"I didn't know there was about to be a celebration at all," McMahon admitted. "I didn't know there was a no-hitter until everyone was going crazy and then I get doused in Gatorade. I knew we had a shutout, but I did not know we had a no-hitter."

Needing three outs for the franchise's first nine-inning gem in more than 22 years, the right-hander took the mound in the ninth thinking his club was three outs from a simple victory. He issued a leadoff walk and then tallied his lone strikeout of the frame before inducing a double-play lineout back to the mound to end the contest.

Spearheading the outing was Festa, who surrendered one hit over four frames in his previous start against Lakeland. The 22-year-old picked up where he left off, striking out six of the first nine batters he faced. Sitting consistently at 96 mph and topping out at 98, Festa needed 82 pitches to complete six innings for the first time in 14 professional starts.

"No-hitters are a team thing," Festa said. "[Catcher Dillon Tatum] called a [heckuva] game. I only shook him off a couple of times and my defense made great plays behind me. It was definitely tense ... credit to Jaylen and Hunter for finishing it off."

The performance was a continuation of what has been a sizzling start to the 2022 campaign for the right-hander. Through five starts, Festa has surrendered just four earned runs while running a 33-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 24 innings. The Verona, N.J., native is holding opponents to a .148 average and one extra-base hit.

"I was feeling strong and I wanted to keep going," Festa said. "I want to get at least five [innings] every outing, but the last couple of outings, my pitch count got a little high. We talked about being more efficient, attacking the zone, and when we got ahead early, to put them away early."

Nowlin struck out four of the six batters he faced in relief of Festa. Like McMahon, the 21-year-old didn't realize what he was about to be a part of.

"I looked at the scoreboard in between my first and second inning," he said. "But right in between, I swear I forgot completely and just went out there and kept throwing. I guess I kind of tricked myself ... don't think about it."

Mikey Perez clubbed his second home run of the season for Fort Myers, which managed just two hits en route to the victory.