Nilva's No Hitter

In 28 years of Softball For The Love Of It, no one had pitched a no-hitter. While this pitching futility did not touch the Mets record of 48 years, it still spoke to how difficult a task pitching a no-hitter is. On Sunday game 3 was scheduled to be 5 innings because several players could not stay long enough to play 7. With Rosengard stuck at home selling his furniture in the front yard to make a few bucks and Jeff Appell having been officially suspended for allowing his dogs on the field before the field was open, we had used all available pitchers with the exception of the 22-year-old Zach Nilva. Nilva had pitched well at times, but, miuch like Don Larsen, had a career losing record. Also, Zach is such a great outfielder that using him on the mound seems a waste.
Three innings into the game Ian Parfrey mentioned to me that Zach had a no-hitter going. This depite having only three outfielders, as we had 19 players and we were playing 9-on-9. As if by magic, a young Frenchman with a baseball glove ran up to me saying it would be his greatest wish while in the americas to play in our game. I didn't know what to say, but wanting to avoid total responsibility for breaking the man's heart I told him to wait and I would ask the other team. I walked to the mound and told Zach the situation. He rolled his eyes and gave me a look that said "I'm pitching a no-hitter and you want me to take some Frog who has probably never played before?" I then made a case for the Frenchman. I told Zach that it would be easier to preserve a no-hitter with four outfielders than with three. I guess the combination of my logic and Zach's good nature worked because as I walked off the mound to tell the Frenchman the bad news, Zach called out, "I'll take him."
Manu, Zach's new right-centerfielder trotted out to his position. In that fourth inning he made two stupendous diving catches(turning one into a double-play by catching the runner off the bag at second with a laser throw. In the final frame I came up with two-outs and the tying run on third and hit a line-drive over the secondbaseman's head only to see Manu diving headfirst and catching the ball just before it hit the ground. Zach Nilva had pitched a no-hitter.
Word of Zach's feat has gotten around a bit. This morning I was walking down Broadway when who should I see but Dan Marino, wearing his Dolphins jersey. As he passed me the name written on his back was N I L V A.