Baseball: Smith Throws No-Hitter as ELCO Tops Cocalico

After picking up a road win over York Suburban on Friday, ELCO kept that momentum going Monday with another strong effort away from home.

Behind a no-hit performance from Austin Smith, the Raiders knocked off Cocalico, 3-1, to earn their second straight victory.

Cocalico grabbed the early lead in the bottom of the 1st when a wild pitch brought home a run, but Smith settled in from there and never let the Eagles generate anything offensively. The right-hander finished off the no-hitter by inducing a groundout from Matt Butz for the final out.

ELCO broke through in the top of the 4th to tie the game. After pressure on the bases, a Cocalico error helped the Raiders even things at 1-1 and set the stage for the decisive inning later on.

In the 6th, ELCO took control for good. Braden Gettle singled in a run, and Wyatt Parker followed with an RBI single to give the Raiders a 3-1 advantage.

That was all the support Smith needed. He went the distance, allowing just 1 run over 7 innings while striking out 9 and walking 2. Though the run was earned, Smith did not allow a hit and gave ELCO another big lift as the team tries to climb back toward .500.

At the plate, Parker, Smith, and Gettle each collected a hit, while Parker and Gettle each drove in a run. Tanner Hibshman added pressure on the bases with 2 stolen bases, part of a 6-steal effort by the Raiders. ELCO also played a clean game defensively without committing an error, and Parker led the way in the field with 9 chances.

Cocalico got a strong effort from Jaxon Keffer despite taking the loss. He worked 5 innings, allowing 2 runs, 1 earned, on 1 hit while walking 4. The Eagles also turned a double play.

ELCO (6-7) will look to make it three in a row when it hosts Donegal on Wednesday.

ELCO 3, Cocalico 1

ELCO Leaders

Braden Gettle: 1-3, R, RBI, SB
Wyatt Parker: 1-3, RBI, SB
Austin Smith: 1-2, R, BB, SB
Tanner Hibshman: BB, 2 SB
Queston Rivera: BB, SB
Grant Wenger: BB, SB

Pitching
Austin Smith (W): 7.0 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K

Cocalico Leaders

Owen Hoffert: R, HBP
Jaxon Keffer: BB
Noah Zimmerman: BB

Pitching
Jaxon Keffer (L): 5.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 1 K
Ian Showalter: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Noah Zimmerman: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Full Box Score

Last Game: Rivera, Raiders Break It Open Late in Win over York Suburban