Heritage's ace pitcher capitalized the K in her first name Wednesday with a no-hit, 13-strikeout performance that led the Patriots to a 9-0 win against Newton on Wednesday.
Kierra Camp blew through the Rams' lineup striking out 12 of the first 13 batters she faced. The junior was cruising along as Heritage approached a run-ruled shortened game, before putting a runner on base.
After Marie Diaz grounded out to short for just the second ball to get in play, Camp struck out Deanna Jackson. With pinch-hitter Caitlyn Brown up to the plate, Camp threw a little too far inside and hit the freshman to put the only Rams' runner on base all game.
Camp then got Ashton McKinson to ground out to second base for the final out.
"Kierra is Kierra, any time she's in the circle you have a chance to win, it doesn't matter who it is," Heritage coach Jason McBay said. "She was in the zone today. I know she wanted that perfect game badly, at least she got the no-hitter."
Camp struck out every batter she faced each time, with the exception of Brown, Diaz and Bre Weaver, who grounded out to the pitcher in the first inning.
"She definitely had the most movement and change of speed that we've run across this season," Newton coach Virginia Waters said. "She's a really, really strong pitcher."
While Camp was dealing, Heritage was running the bases.
The Patriots started by scoring on their first three batters of the game. Nielah Floyd reached with a leadoff single, before stealing second and moving to third on a passed ball. She scored on an RBI error to shortstop by Diamond Callwood.
Callwood stole second and then was sent to third on a double steal, along with Kamryn Toney. As Newton was trying to throw out Tonye, Callwood ran to third, and then stole home. Toney scored on a sacrifice by Taylor Moser.
The Patriots stole eight more bases, including one by Cierra Davenport, who opened the bottom of the second on a single.
Davenport scored on Callwood's two out RBI single to center field. Callwood came home on Camp's double.
Moser reached first to lead off the third inning, before stealing seond and third and then coming home as Carri Wilkerson attempted to steal second.
"Right now from Kierra all the way to our manager, everyone has kind of embraced their roll," McBay said. "When it works like that everyone can accomplish more."