Senior Patrick Thompson came 12 balls away from baseball immortality Friday evening, tossing a no hitter against Havelock in a 2-0 victory, the Pam Pack’s first of the regular season.

Losers of three-straight, first-year head coach Kevin Leggett remained confident in his team’s ability down the stretch — each loss exposing small improvements in key areas, improvements that are apparent in the final box scores.

But after falling 4-2 to West Carteret on Wednesday, it was Thompson and his flawless infield that brought the nine-game losing streak, dating back to last season, to an end.

“He played a great game,” Leggett said. “He was hitting the strike zone all night. Had a couple of walks here and there, but he kept fighting and wouldn’t let them get around the bases. The defense backed them up all night.”

It’s the first time that word — defense — has been used in a positive light in the last year, maybe two. Last season, it was an error-prone infield that cost the Pam Pack six or seven one- and two-run ballgames, resulting in a 3-16 season, despite the consistent production from their ace, Thompson.

“It feels goof to get a win,” he said. “It’s the first time in a while, since I’ve been here anyway, we’ve been errorless in the field. I felt like it was the first time in a while I was able to trust my infield. They made a couple of pretty tough plays. We have three sophomores in the infield … four including the catcher.”

Guys like Grayson Gruninger, Nathan Rader and Tripp Barfield answered the call, avoided mistakes and coming through with athletic plays — the difference in what was a close, competitive matchup.

Offensively, backing Thompson on the mound was Rader, who finished 2-for-3 with an RBI and Cody Godley, going 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. Thompson also contributed with the bat, blasting a line drive to the gap in left-center the first inning and legging out a double.

On the mound, Thompson recorded eight strikeouts and three walks in seven innings.

“They’re improving each game,” Leggett said. “We have a tough nonconference scheduled and the guys are keeping their heads up. It shows they don’t give up and they’re hard work is paying off. They’re ready to keep going.”

Thompson, who has had three different coaches in four years, had high praise for his new skipper after the game.

“We have a new coach this year in coach Leggett and he’s doing a good job, calling a lot of bunts and stealing a lot of bases,” he said. “We’re just gaining a lot of respect for him right now and just trying to keep getting better.”

With the win, Washington improves to 1-3 in out-of-conference play and will face Riverside in Williamston on Friday.