WESTMINSTER, Md. – Senior Zach Jones (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora) threw McDaniel's first no-hitter in nearly 12 years to lead McDaniel to a doubleheader sweep of Penn State-York in non-conference baseball action on Saturday.
Jones struck out a career-high 12 batters and allowed just one baserunner – a fifth-inning, one-out walk – in a 10-0 game-one win for the Green Terror (5-2), who completed the sweep with a 14-2 victory in the nightcap. Freshman Zach Kronick (Schenectady, N.Y./Guilderland) nearly bettered his namesake, retiring the first 18 batters of his collegiate career with eight strikeouts before allowing a leadoff single in the seventh and exiting the game with his team in command, 14-0.
Travis Hamberger broke up Kronick's bid at a perfect game with one of three hits for the Lions (0-2), who plated a pair of runs in the seventh inning to avoid the double shutout.
After Jones sat down the first three batters with a pair of strikeouts, Sean Sivo (Ellicott City, Md./Howard) led off the bottom of the frame with a single up the middle.
A two-out error allowed Cameron Bahr (Southampton, N.J./Seneca) to reach and open the gates for five unearned runs.
Sivo, who stole second and took third on a flyout, scored on the error for a 1-0 lead.
James Chiorello (East Windsor, N.J./Lawrenceville Prep) followed with a single to right before Marshall Betts (Berlin, Md./Stephen Decatur) was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Brandon Hayward (Salisbury, Md./J.M. Bennett), who doubled off the wall in left to clear the bases.
A second error put runners at the corners for Tyler Jackow (Colonia, N.J./Colonia), whose infield single scored Hayward for a 5-0 lead.
After Jones struck out the side in the top of the second, Chad Nazelrod (Manchester, Md./Manchester Valley) led off the home half of the inning with a bunt single.
Pat Christopher (Union Beach, N.J./St. John Vianney) slammed a ball up the middle and took second on the throw to put runners at second and third.
Bahr lofted a ball to deep center field, scoring both runners with his sacrifice fly for a 7-0 lead.
Jones ended the visitor third with a pair of strikeouts looking after a defensive gem by Jackow in the hole before a pair of flyouts and groundout retired the side in order in the fourth.
Jones got his eighth strikeout of the game to open the fifth before a walk, comebacker and his ninth K kept the no-hitter in order.
Two more strikeouts in the sixth got Jones to double figures before a one-out walk to Bahr in the bottom of the inning started a three-run frame.
Chiorello and Betts followed doubles each before a throwing error allowed Betts to score for the 10-0 lead.
Jones finished off the Green Terror's first no-no since Dan Elbaz against Lincoln on Mar. 14, 2001 with a pair of lineouts and his career-best 12th K. Elbaz's game was shortened to five innings. The last seven-inning no-hitter was by George Cossabone against Vassar on Mar. 20, 1995.
Chiorello and Hayward each had two hits in the win.
In game two, Kronick kept the strong pitching going with four strikeouts in the first two innings before the bats broke out for four runs in the bottom of the inning.
Betts singled to lead off the inning before Hayward walked and Marty Windisch (Manchester, Md./Manchester Valley) was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
Tom Gallo (Bernardsville, N.J./Bernardsville) made it back-to-back hit batsman for the first run of the game before a one-out fielder's choice off the bat of Sivo plated Hayward.
Jonathan McKinney (Jonestown, Pa./Northern Lebanon) followed with a ringing double to the gap in right-center for a 4-0 lead.
Chiorello led off the bottom of the third with a home run to left field before Betts sent a rocket back up the middle for a single.
With Betts on third after a wild pitch and balk, Gallo knocked him home with two outs for a 6-0 advantage.
McKinney led off the fourth with a single up the middle before Christopher drilled his first home run in two years to right field for an 8-0 lead.
A Chiorello walk and Betts hit by pitch coupled with a Windisch one-out single loaded the bases for Gallo, who poked a single through the left side to score two runs and push the lead to 10-0.
A Garret Nemser (Hartsdale, N.Y./Edgemont) single to right field scored Windisch and Gallo to make it a 12-0 game.
Singles from Windisch and Nemser around a Tyler Ferretti (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) double stretched the lead to 14-0 in the bottom of the sixth.
Hamberger poked a single into left field to break up the perfect game bid.
Matt Lafrennie (Longmeadow, Mass./Williston Northhampton Prep) was greeted by a single just out of the second baseman's reach to put runners at the corners before a sacrifice fly allowed Hamberger to break up the shutout.
A Dan Rogers two-out single set the final margin.
McKinney finished game two with two hits and two RBIs while Gallo had two hits and four RBIs. Windisch had two hits and three runs scored while Nemser picked up two hits and three RBIs. Betts had two hits and three runs scored.
McDaniel returns to action at home against Penn State-Harrisburg on Tuesday. Game time is 3:30 p.m.
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