Cloverdale's Rowland pitches perfect game

<p>The kid with the perfect ERA now has a perfect game to accompany it.</p><p>Cloverdale senior Robby Rowland added to his laundry list of athletic accomplishments Wednesday by tossing a perfect game in a 2-0 win at Clear Lake.</p><p>Rowland, a 6-foot-6 right-hander who has signed with Oregon, struck out 13 and needed just 71 pitches — 53 strikes — to record the first perfect game of his career.</p><p>Rowland, who is 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA, has thrown 27 scoreless innings this season — allowing four walks, nine hits (all singles) and striking out 49. Avenal's Jerry Jordan (1970) owns the state record for most consecutive scoreless innings with 59.</p><p>“When I was warming up, I really wasn't feeling it,” said Rowland, a basketball star who is the Empire's all-time leading boys' scorer. “I couldn't get on top of the ball and nothing felt right. But once I took the hill, I zoned in.”</p><p>About a dozen major-league scouts attended Wednesday's game. Rowland has said he might sign a professional contract instead of attending Oregon, depending on where he is selected in the MLB draft in June.</p><p>He certainly did nothing to diminish his draft stock Wednesday against the Cardinals (9-5). Armed with a fastball hovering in the low 90s, he allowed two balls out of the infield. He was so dominant that he even overcame an age-old baseball belief that it is bad luck to mention a perfect game or no-hitter in progress, especially to the pitcher.</p><p>Rowland said senior shortstop Allen Silva didn't get the message.</p><p>“He said something to me and I said ‘You've got to be kidding me. Did you you just do that?'” Rowland said with a laugh.</p><p>Sophomore right fielder Brett Robinson saved the perfect game with one out in the seventh by diving to catch a liner off the bat of Clear Lake's Bryan Edwards. Rowland finished the game by striking out Clear Lake's Ryan Richardson on a 2-2 slider.</p><p>Richardson, a three-sport star, is Rowland's longtime friend and rival.</p>