Baseball: One batter shy of perfection, Bramble's no-hitter lifts Lakota West past Hamilton

OXFORD — The difference between perfection and dominance can be a single pitch.

For Lakota West High School senior Noah Bramble, it came in the seventh inning — one batter standing between him and history.

He settled for something nearly as rare.

Bramble fired a no-hitter with 14 strikeouts — taking a perfect game into the final frame before hitting a batter — and leading Lakota West to a 2-0 win over Hamilton on Friday night in the Reds Futures High School Showcase at Miami University's McKie Field at Hayden Park.

Bramble didn’t chase history on a nearly perfect evening weather-wise. He chased outs.

“Just one more,” he said. “Every time I went out there, I was like, just get one more inning.”

That mindset carried him through six flawless innings under the lights — no hits, no baserunners, no distractions. Just rhythm.

And he didn’t even realize what was building until late.

“I never really thought about the innings and the hits until I got to the seventh,” Bramble said. “I looked up and saw no hits and was like, ‘Shoot, I’m throwing a no-hitter, perfect game.’”

The atmosphere matched the moment. A Friday night showcase, a Greater Miami Conference matchup, and a pitcher in complete control.

Hamilton made him work for it, though.

“They gave me some really tough at-bats,” Bramble said. “Ran up my pitch count, but I just stayed dialed in. My guys behind me played really well, and we got the job done.”

Lakota West scratched across both of its runs in the second inning, and that proved to be enough in a game defined by pitching and defense.

Hamilton starter Maddox Jones struck out six over four innings, allowing just two runs on two hits, while reliever Asher Roy was dominant in relief, striking out six more across three innings.

But it was Bramble who would have the final say.

The seventh

The seventh inning began like the rest — controlled, deliberate, quiet.

A groundout.

A strikeout.

One out away from perfection.

Then, a pitch that changed the storyline.

Bramble hit the next batter, ending the perfect-game bid and bringing the first Hamilton baserunner of the night.

But there was no frustration. No panic.

Just clarity.

“I wasn’t worried about the perfect game so much,” Bramble said. “I just knew I was throwing a no-hitter. I was thinking, if I leave something over the middle, they could tie the game.”

That was the moment the performance revealed itself.

This wasn’t about history. It was about winning.

Bramble regrouped, attacked the next hitter and finished it the only way fitting — with a strikeout, his 14th of the night.