There’s throwing one no-hitter, and then there’s throwing another no-hitter in your next start.
That’s what Columbia’s Kody Hall did in a home game April 10 against Wellington. Blanking Garfield Heights in his prior start with double-digit strikeouts, Hall punched out 12 dukes batters in his second no-hitter of 2024 and a Raiders 6-0 victory.
🚨🚨 BREAKING NEWS 🚨🚨
Columbia's @KodyHall24 does it again! His second complete game no-hitter, with a double digit strikeout performance against Wellington in a big Raiders win
FINAL@chsball 6, @DukesBaseball21 0
WELL 0 0 2
COL 6 10 0@MJournalSports @ColumbiaAth pic.twitter.com/ChVfG6FsXp— Sean Fitzgerald (@fitzonsportsbsr) April 10, 2024
“At first I came in a little bit nervous, but I trusted my teammates and my coaches,” Hall said. “(I’ve had) a couple of games I haven’t been able to feel my curveball, but today I actually figured it out and it helped me a lot.”
Part of a post game chat with @chsball's @KodyHall24 following hid second no-no of 2024. He had 12 strikeouts and only two walks against the Dukes. @MJournalSports @ColumbiaAth @DanDurante8 pic.twitter.com/CPWnbfBrVB
— Sean Fitzgerald (@fitzonsportsbsr) April 11, 2024
The second straight no-hitter pitched by Hall and only his third start of the year, it didn’t start to hit Hall until around the sixth inning that something was in the works.
“I wasn’t really thinking (about it), but when I got to the sixth inning, I got the jitters,” said Hall. “I got even more nervous because I was like ‘This is a big deal. I could be the second one to do it two times in a row and that would be a big deal here.”
“He’s had it. He’s had it for a long time,” Columbia coach Dan Durante said of Hall’s effort. “It’s just a matter of — and here’s the hardest thing — trying to get these guys to play consistent baseball. To pitch consistent start to start in what is the most inconsistent sports season there is. So you’re asking for a kid to be consistent in an ‘X’ amount of days.
“But for him to go up there against a good baseball team in Wellington and do what he did was special. That is one of the best performances… that I’ve seen here in my 15 years.”
Playing shortstop against the Dukes, Jacob Sanders was a huge catalyst in the effort, getting an RBI single in the bottom of the second and an energizing RBI double in the fourth inning. The senior let out a roar from second base as Columbia kept rolling along.
E2
Jacob Sanders knocked in Jose Rivera on a flare to left field and advanced to second (VIDEO). Sanders had an apparent lower body injury after getting the extra base, but managed to stay in. 2-0 Raiders@DukesBaseball21 0 0 1@chsball 2 3 0@MJournalSports pic.twitter.com/q2dlLGCg3W
— Sean Fitzgerald (@fitzonsportsbsr) April 10, 2024
“Being able to play shortstop and back (Kody) up, I love when he pitches because I know what he can bring,” Sanders smiled. “I know he has a good fastball, good curveball and he’ll keep us in games. His ability to keep us in games is what’s special about him. He’s very special and very talented.”
The guy behind the dish — catcher Elliot Hart — talked about how Hall was able to keep clicking and running through a Wellington lineup, including a three-strikeout first frame that helped set the tone.
MID 6
Strikeout No. 9 (OUT 2, Vid 1) and No. 10 (OUT 3, Vid 2) after an attempted bunt single. Keep an eye out on the seventh, folks!
Columbia 3, Wellington 0@DukesBaseball21 0 0 1@chsball 3 7 0@MJournalSports @ColumbiaAth pic.twitter.com/w1gwqQIxAq
— Sean Fitzgerald (@fitzonsportsbsr) April 10, 2024
“Honestly, Kody really locked in there from the beginning,” Hart explained. “He really sat on the fastball there and they couldn’t touch it. He was really on point today. Again with the curveball, he was really working it in, too. Really nice breaking stuff. I couldn’t say much more than that – it was a perfect game.”
Hall only gave up two walks to Wellington (3-2, 1-2), and it’s tough to get an offensive rhythm going as Dan Davison’s side knew.
“Hall pitched really well,” the Wellington coach tipped his cap. “We didn’t do a very good job with our approaches at the plate. We need baserunners to score runs and we didn’t have a whole lot of opportunities out there today.”
Columbia (7-0, 4-0) will face Firelands in another LC8 conference game April 11.
THE SCORE
Columbia 6, Wellington 0
