It’s one of the most difficult and coveted achievements in all of sports, and Mt. Hope freshman pitcher and Bristol resident Trace Dubois just pulled it off in his very first start on the varsity squad.

During their matchup against Warwick’s Toll Gate High School on Tuesday night, and reeling from two recent losses to Bishop Hendricken and East Providence, Mt. Hope varsity baseball head coach Ben Emond had no idea that such a necessary bounce-back game would come in such dramatic fashion.

“I was just focused on coaching a game that put us in a position to win,” he said. “I didn’t realize there was a no hitter going on until the 7th inning when I spoke to our pitching coach, Connor Padovich, and I basically turned to him and said, ‘Man, Trace has had an outstanding game. Do they even have any hits?’ And he looked at me with this giant smile, and that’s when I realized I had almost just jinxed the entire thing.”

A no-hitter occurs when a pitcher allows no opponents to reach on base through the swing of their bat. A pitcher can give up a walk, and the defenders behind him can allow a runner on base through an error in play, and the no-hitter remains preserved. Dubois struck out four Titans throughout his bid, and allowed two walks. The lone run for Toll Gate came after a walk, a stolen base, and an error on a throw.

Adding to the dramatic fashion of the win was a fantastic diving grab made by outfielder Jake Ferreira in the sixth inning; a moment that sent the crowd into a frenzy as spectators realized what was at stake.

Fittingly enough, it was Dubois himself who recorded the final out on a ground ball hit directly to him. He played through a slight bobble and sent the ball to first to cap the historic performance.

“Trace put us in the position to have a no-hitter by challenging hitters and throwing strikes, and he trusted the defense behind him,” said Emond. “And they all rose to the occasion.”

Emond said the feeling was “euphoric” after the final out. “People were high-fiving, it was just an absolutely great character win…It was a perfect start to the week.”

Emond, who coached for seven years at Edward R. Martin Middle School in East Providence, said that he recalled coaching against Dubois in middle school during his time at Kickemuit.

“We had seen flashes of his potential,” he said. “I had seen that he was, at times, dominant in middle school. We were kind of holding out waiting for him to be comfortable and on solid footing at the varsity level. Against all of our better judgment, we had thought of starting him at JV to get him as many reps as possible, but he really deserved this opportunity, and he didn’t disappoint.”