Wahconah Sophomore Forfa Tosses No-Hitter

DALTON, Mass. -- Ethan Forfa needed just 72 pitches to record the first no-hitter in more than a decade for the Wahconah Regional High School baseball team on Saturday.

 

Forfa struck out seven and walked just one in a 3-0 win over Monument Mountain.

 

The sophomore's efficiency in the strike zone was the key in keeping his pitch count down.

 

"He had a lot of one- and two-pitch outs," Wahconah coach Jared Shannon said. "He did it because he was so much around the zone. When you do that, you force them to swing early in the count.

 

"He walked one guy. That was the only count that got to three balls."

 

Forfa also did not allow a base-runner after the third inning as he improved to 2-0 on the season. Earlier in the week, he got the victory in relief in the season opener for Wahconah (2-0).

 

In 10 innings this year, Forfa has allowed just one hit, continuing a run that started last year when he was a late season call-up to the varsity as a freshman.

 

"I do not keep freshmen up or even sophomores if they're not going to play a lot," Shannon said in a telephone interview Saturday evening. "We called him up at the end of the year. He threw in relief against Pittsfield and threw four really good innings.

 

"We got into the tournament and our No. 1 won he first game. In the second game, our pitcher was getting roughed up by Monument. I brought [Forfa] in in the second inning, and he shut down Monument for four innings.

 

"We knew he had good stuff. He's a good pitcher and a good player. Going into this year, we know what we have."

 

Shannon, who has been a coach in the Wahconah program for 12 years, said this was the first varsity no-hitter at the school in that time. On Saturday evening, he had not yet learned when the last no-hitter came in the program's storied history.

 

Matt Schneider was another key for Forfa on Saturday.

 

At the plate, Schneider went 3-for-4 for the second straight game. He doubled and scored what proved to be the winning run.

 

Behind the plate, Schneider was the other half of the battery in the no-no.

 

"Matt is a third-year starter for us," Shannon said. "He's going to emerge as one of the best players on this side of the state in my opinion. He is 6-for-8 on the season.

 

"He also gets a lot of credit for the no-hitter. He allowed Ethan to throw several curve balls in the dirt without it going to the backstop."

 

In fact, while Saturday will be remembered as Forfa's day, it was a total team effort.

 

"Schneider was really key, but literally every single guy contributed in some way," Shannon said. "Seven different guys got a hit, and the ones that didn't made outstanding plays in the field."

 

Forfa agreed. 

 

"The [play] that I think stood out the most was, when there was a hard ground ball to third base and Will Genaway dove to his right to stop it, and when his throw to first was just a little off-line, our first baseman Marco Anastasio came off the bag and caught it while slapping the tag on the runner," Forfa said. "I think that's definitely the play that saved my no-hitter and I'm very thankful to them for making that awesome play."

 

Wahconah hosts Pittsfield on Monday. Monument (1-1) goes to Taconic on Wednesday.