Ending on a High Note

For senior pitcher Dan Colbert, the last regular season start of his long career of pitching at Seaside Park will be one he will always remember.

For seven innings, Colbert had Salem High School batters guessing and finished his last regular season start Saturday with his first career no-hitter. 

"It was something that I just really didn't expect to happen," Colbert said. "It was really great."

Colbert, 18, said he has been pitching since he was 9-years-old and has lived in Marblehead all of his life. And in all that time, this is the first time he could look back and see a zero in the hit column.

"My coaches have been working with me, really hard this year and it paid off.
Also I have to give it to my teammates for giving me the confidence and the great defense behind me," Colbert said. 

Saturday's win was a little bit of payback, Colbert said, after he watched Salem defeat Marblehead in a high-scoring game earlier this season. And for the lefty pitcher, who depends on his curve ball, fastball and change-up to mystify opposing batters, no-hitters can now be considered something of a family tradition.

"My father was a left handed pitcher at Marblehead High School and he too threw a no hitter," Colbert said.