Boyd-Buchanan pitcher Skyler Anderson entered Saturday's game with an earned run average of 1.23.
By midafternoon it had dropped.
The right-hander thew a no-hitter in the Buccaneers' six-inning, 10-0 victory over visiting Grace Academy.
"I felt it in the fourth or fifth inning and just thought to myself, 'You've got to keep it going. You've got to keep it going,'" Anderson said. "As it went on and I got closer, I was thinking, 'Can't give up a hit, can't give up a hit.'"
The Bucs' 23rd win -- against nine losses -- propelled them into the District 5-A winners-bracket final against Silverdale Baptist, a 6-2 winner over Arts & Sciences. Boyd-Buchanan will host Silverdale while Grace visits Arts & Sciences in 5 p.m. Monday games.
Anderson had just five strikeouts but used a solid defense.
"He pitched a great game," Bucs coach Josh Rider said. "He was putting them where he needed to and getting ground-ball outs. It's a good thing when you have a defense like his."
Anderson faced just one batter above the minimum for a six-inning game. One Eagle reached on an error in the first inning but was thrown out trying to steal by catcher Hunter Payne. Grace's Isaac Ateca walked in the second.
That was it for Golden Eagles runners. The Bucs recorded nine ground-ball outs to go with an infield fly. Just one ball reached the outfield, a fly to left.
"I was throwing mostly fastballs, two-seam and four-seam early, then curveballs and sliders," Anderson said. "Hunter called a good game, and the defense did a really good job behind me."
Part of the strong defense came from third baseman Josh Antwine, who also went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI.
"He's my best friend, so we back each other up," Anderson said. "He kept me calm when I got mad at myself at the plate, and he kept me focused on the mound."
Boyd-Buchanan banged out 13 hits with six going for extra bases -- homers by Nathan Murrell and Jim Cardwell, a triple by Cade Evans and doubles from Murrell, Anderson and Antwine.
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.