A ShowMe Times Sports Report

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. – A sunny day free of spring showers is lucky, but a perfect baseball game takes real talent.

During a Sunday faceoff against St. Charles Community College on April 3, freshman Heath Horvath pitched a perfect game for the Raiders. “In 26 years of coaching baseball, I’ve only seen this happen twice,” said Three Rivers College head coach Stacey Burkey. “Needless to say, (assistant) Coach Scarano and I are extremely proud.”

Horvath’s winning moments came during the second game of a doubleheader against the St. Charles Cougars, who lost both matchups 3-2 and 3-0. “I wasn’t really expecting it to happen,” said Horvath, a freshman at Three Rivers. “I just try to play each game as they come, as best I can.”

“The first thing that a pitcher has to do in order to have a perfect game is that he has to command his pitches,” said Burkey. “Heath is a strike thrower. That Sunday, he was able to have some low pitch-count innings by throwing into great areas of the strike zone. After the first 4 innings you could tell he was in a really good rhythm, and his velocity was as good or better than it's been all spring.”

Horvath graduated from Senath-Hornsville High School last spring after being recruited for the Raiders baseball team.

“I’m going to keep trying for perfect pitching,” said Horvath. “I hope to move on and play for a four-year school after finishing at Three Rivers.” When asked about his future expectations for his team, Burkey answered, “The only thing I expect from Heath and the rest of our pitchers is that they throw their pitches aggressively through the target. Heath did a great job of controlling the things he had control over, and our defense did their part to get the perfect game.”

Thanks to Meagan Keathley of the Three Rivers Communitcations Department and Student Athletics writer Mike Buhler for this report.