The vast majority of the time, a baseball team that throws a no-hitter wins the game.
Very occasionally, a team that pitches a no-hitter loses.
The odds of both rare events happening in the same game must be astronomical, but that’s what transpired in the PIAA Class 5A first round Monday.
District 3 champion Lampeter-Strasburg defeated visiting Thomas Jefferson, 4-0, in a game that featured no hits for either team.
Cooper Williams was the winning pitcher, striking out six and walking five in five innings for Lampeter-Strasburg (18-4). Joe Weaver worked the final two innings to finish out the win.
Colin Pearson, Dom Metz, Bryce Butler and Noah Sear combined on the no-hitter for the Jaguars (18-7). They struck out six and walked 11.
Each team made two errors.
Lampeter-Strasburg scored twice on bases-loaded walks — with Brayden Hart’s in the bottom of the third providing the winning margin — as well as once on a double steal and once on an error.
Lampeter-Strasburg will meet District 6 champ Hollidaysburg in the quarterfinals Thursday.
The game will bring a memorable conclusion to the coaching career of Thomas Jefferson’s Tim Vickers, who has announced his retirement.