Courtesy TMC Athletics

2015 proved to be another exciting year for The Master’s College Athletic Department. Across the board, TMC’s student-athletes produced some of the most memorable moments in school history. The final installment of the countdown of the top ten moments of 2015 continues with number one.

1) Jason Karkenny Throws Perfect Game against San Diego Christian

On Feb. 6, TMC’s Jason Karkenny made history against San Diego Christian, retiring all 27 Hawks he faced while hurling the program’s first-ever perfect game in a 6-0 win for the Mustangs.

Karkenny got all the run support he needed in the first inning when his brother, Steve, after being hit by a pitch, eventually scored on Nick Covello’s groundout.

Then Karkenny went to work in the last half of the first. He struck out the first batter he faced, and an inning later he sandwiched a pair of groundouts around another punch out.

He got another run to work with in the third when Collin Nyenhuis slammed a two-out, solo home run over the left field fence, doubling the Mustang advantage to 2-0.

Karkenny struck out another Hawk in the third inning and rolled through the middle frames, whiffing two more batters in the fifth and inducing two fly outs and a groundout in the sixth.

Meanwhile, his teammates continued to pad the lead, doubling the advantage once again in the sixth with two more runs. Tyler Krahn and Sam Robison led off the frame with back-to-back singles and moved up 90 feet on an error by the Hawk pitcher.

Moments later, Krahn scored on a David Sheaffer groundout and Robison raced home on a wild pitch to make it a 4-0 game.

Karkenny responded with, what else, another perfect inning in the sixth, retiring the Hawks on a lineout, a fly out and a groundout.

It was now obvious that something special was in the works. It didn’t faze Karkenny at all as he mowed down the Hawks in the seventh and eight innings, retiring six batters on equal parts fly outs and groundouts.

For good measure, his teammates added two more runs in the top of the ninth on another Nyenhuis homer, this one a two-run wallop over the left-center field fence.

That set up a nerve-racking ninth for some. But not for Karkenny, who finished the job in workmanlike fashion even after the Hawks tried to rattle him by sending three straight pinch hitters to the plate. It didn’t work as the right-hander struck out the first batter, got the next one on a groundout, and fittingly struck out the final Hawk to set off a jubilant celebration on the mound.

Karkenny’s gem featured 97 pitches and eight strikeouts.

Click below to read previous countdown articles:

#2 – XC Nationals

#3 – Bekendam Breaks All-Time Assist Record

#4 – Men’s Cross Country Wins Sixth Consecutive GSAC Championship

#5 – Women’s Basketball Wins GSAC, Advances to NAIA Tournament

#6 – TMC Men’s Golf Championships

#7 – Shackelford Career High

#8 – Soccer NAIA All-Americans

#9 – Best Scores 1,000

#10 – Baseball Wins GSAC Championship