Don't tell anybody, but the Emmaus baseball team has figured out the secret to winning baseball games - don't let the other team score any runs.

That secret has worked well for the team through its first three games, all victories, by a combined score of 33-0.

The schedule opened up with two non-conference games. The first was a 17-0 win over Germantown, which the Hornets followed up with an 8-0 win over Wilson. Emmaus then opened its Lehigh Valley Conference play with another 8-0 win, this time over Allen.

Connor Healy has been swinging a hot bat for Emmaus, swatting his first home run of the season - a two-run shot - against Germantown and following that up with three RBI against Wilson and two more hits with another RBI against Allen.

Luke Miller started against Germantown and Allen and has pitched a total of nine innings, allowing just four hits and striking out 12 batters. Reliever Jack Moore has provided three innings of work, allowing two hits and striking out four.

Josh LeMaster got the start in the game against Wilson, which was originally scheduled to be played at the Church Lane Field, but was moved to Wilson High School after Monday's snow. The change didn't bother LeMaster, who threw five innings and struck out seven hitters, allowing just one walk and one hit, an infield single.

"Throwing strikes. That's the key to every game for me, just to throw strikes," said LeMaster after the win over Wilson.

Emmaus took advantage of any little mistake that Wilson made. That included the fourth inning when Wilson's Phil Pierfy got the first two hitters of the inning out on ground balls, but Emmaus got a hit and took advantage of an error to extend the inning and score four runs.

"It's huge when your team puts together an inning like that," said LeMaster. "I know as a pitcher, it's tough if an inning like that happens to you and that definitely helped us."

"They made one mistake and the next thing you know, we're up by five runs and the game is pretty much over by then," said coach John Schreiner of how his team has taken advantage of mistakes by the other club.

Schreiner was impressed by the outing that both LeMaster and Moore had against Wilson and thought his team has played well, considering their practices have been spotty because of the weather.

"It showed a little bit that we haven't been on the field as much, because the snow set us off and then moving this game from home to here, but overall, we played real well," said Schreiner. "Once we start playing on a regular basis, getting a couple games a week, we'll be all right. We've got some kids here who can swing the bat and the pitching's been good."

With three dominant wins, Emmaus is sending an early message to other teams in the LVC. With 20 shutout innings in a row and an offense that figures to get even stronger as the season goes on, the Hornets could be in good shape this season.

For his part, LeMaster believes that the team has the potential to take some people by surprise.

"I think we're definitely underrated. They say Nazareth, Whitehall and Parkland are the best, but I think they should put us there, too," said LeMaster.