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Caleb Rodrick took the mound for the last time at Wild West Park on Friday night.

With Senior Night and crosstown rival Morristown East in front of him, the moment nearly got the best of him early.

He walked the first batter he faced and quickly fell into another full count with the next.

Then he settled in.

A strikeout. A groundout. Another strikeout.

From there, Rodrick took control, and 21 outs later, he walked off his home field one last time with a feat that few achieve: a no-hitter.

“That’s what I wanted to do,” Rodrick said. “I’m not gonna lie, Coach (Justin) Pickett, he asked for one last night. He told me that I got the mound, and he didn’t want any hits. He wanted a no-no. And I’m just super ecstatic, like last home game on the field that’s been so good to me, and it was really cool to do.”

After their talk on Thursday night, Pickett noticed something different about Rodrick before the game even started.

“He came out on a mission tonight,” Pickett said. “Before the game, just looking at him in the eyes, and I knew he just wanted to be out here. He wanted to come out here on senior night and give it everything he’s got. His last night out here at home, and he’s been tremendous for us over the years. And to have an opportunity to put him out here on senior night. It was an easy option.”

Rodrick started the game a little too amped and couldn’t find the strike zone. Then he said the game slowed down for him while still keeping the intensity up.

“First inning, especially the first three batters or so, I walked one. I was just trying to throw way too hard and make too good of pitches when I didn’t need to,” Rodrick said. “I could trust my defense. I could trust myself. And it was really big for me to be able to not only slow it down, but also keep the intensity and execute better.”

The West defense made sure that trust was rewarded. After committing five errors the night before, the Trojans’ defense was nearly flawless behind him.

When East’s Landen Bures chipped a ball just past the infield between first and second, it seemed destined for a hit that would have ended the no-hit bid in the second inning. Rodrick didn’t think so. He was already walking toward the dugout as second baseman Levi Blair came out of nowhere for a diving grab. Urijah Marsingill made a similarly spectacular grab in the fourth inning.

“I had complete confidence in them,” Rodrick said. “I mean, when Levi made that catch, when that ball was hit, I was walking off. Maybe that’s a little cocky, but I had complete trust in him. And then Urijah, I mean, he’s probably the fastest guy in town. So I had faith that they were gonna make those plays. I had faith in my defense.”

By the time Rodrick stepped onto the mound in the bottom of the seventh, everyone knew what was unfolding. The dugout went quiet, careful not to jinx the moment.

Again, Rodrick let the moment almost get too big by beginning his final frame the same as his first: walking his first batter with four straight balls.

After throwing a fifth straight ball to the next batter, Rodrick put his trust back into his defense.

“During the warm-ups, I was out there, and I was like, ‘I just need to be good for three hitters,’” he said. “Three hitters. That’s all I need. And then I spiked four of my five warm-up pitches, and then I threw four in a row, just straight balls that weren’t even close, not competitive. And then I just had to lock in and trust my defense.”

Rodrick dialed it back on his remaining pitches, forcing an infield pop-out to Logan Long. He followed by striking out his 10th batter. With two outs, Jordan Tipton swung at his first pitch. The ball sailed into right field and was caught by Hayden Wild. Rodrick could finally celebrate.

“The funnest part for me was just to sit back there and watch him,” Pickett said. “Not to say, experience it through him, but to see the passion, the effort, the Bulldog. He’s one of the biggest competitors that I’ve been able to coach. And every time he gets the ball, man, it’s just so much fun to see him pitch.”

Morristown West backed Rodrick with a 3-0 win over East, improving to 15-19 on the year and 4-4 in District 1-4A action to close the season.

Despite Rodrick’s brilliance, East pitcher Brett Carden matched him for most of the night, with only two first-inning runs and a seventh-inning run separating the two.

Carden also threw a complete game, allowing just one earned run and six hits, keeping East within striking distance throughout..

“That was just an old school pitcher’s duel,” East head coach Justin Hite said. “Hats off to their guy going out there and doing what he did. I still don’t like our approach at the plate at times, and that’s on me. But also, Brett goes out there, I think in six innings, he threw 70 pitches. I mean, just efficient. And so that was just an old-school pitchers’ duel.”

The ‘Canes, now 7-25 and 1-7 in district plat, will look to get right for the postseason, but it will have to fight for its season on Tuesday in a play-in game with West Ridge.

“It’s do or die,” Hite said. “You go out there and we’re gonna have everybody available to find a way. You win that one in your double elimination. And it’s May baseball, man, anything can happen. We’re excited, we’re ready and I think that if we keep doing things the right way, eventually that tide’s gonna turn, and I’m gonna enjoy it when it does.”

The Trojans will travel to Science Hill on Wednesday to open their run in the tournament.

“Anytime we get a win against our crosstown rival, it’s always a big win for us,” Pickett said. “And we’re looking onto the next chapter. So this is the end of our season, but the journey is just beginning here. We’re gonna go back to work Monday and Tuesday, then we got Science Hill. We’re gonna come out here and bring the same effort and attitude as we brought tonight and hopefully surprise somebody.”