Talk about pressure.
Bases loaded. Two outs. Full count. One strike from victory. Your team up, 1-0. Oh, and there's a no-hitter on the line.
It's the stuff of backyard baseball fantasies, but it's literally the scenario that Iowa pitcher Anthony Johnson Jr. faced Friday in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.
With California rallying in the final frame and threatening to tie or take the lead, the lefty Johnson dropped a breaking pitch that juuust nicked the outside corner for a called third strike to give Iowa a combined no-no and a stunning victory.
It's fitting that the game ended on a strikeout because those were the theme of the day for Iowa. Starting pitcher Cooper Thissen notched 15 during his outing, and also hit a first-inning solo homer for his team's only run of the game -- a pretty cool two-way performance on a pretty big stage.
Is young Thissen the next Shohei Ohtani? Keep an eye on that kid.
Unbelievably, this wasn't the only no-hitter in the LLWS on Friday. CuraƧao also tossed a combined no-no, as Jaymiƫll Martina (4 2/3 innings) and Giendry Ryan (1 1/3 innings) combined for the deed in a 6-0 win against Japan. And that one ended with a strikeout, too, as Ryan got a whiff on a 75 mph fastball to close it out.