Pitching to contact, four stolen bases, two sacrifice bunts, two double plays, a bunt single, no walks ... true baseball.

Courtesy of the Knoch Knights.

“That’s the best baseball team we’ve seen this year — and probably will see this year,” Derry Area coach John Flickinger said after Knoch’s 5-1 victory Monday at Kelly Automotive Park.

“They play small ball as well as anybody. That’s the way we’ve been beating teams and that’s the way they beat us today.”

Knoch sophomore pitcher Jack Bartek threw just 67 pitches in six innings. He struck out only one, but walked nobody and took advantage of two double plays turned behind him.

“It’s a lot of fun pitching with a defense like this,” Bartek said. “It’s easy. I know they’re going to make the plays behind me.”

While Derry (7-3, 4-3) managed six hits, the Trojans stranded only two runners. Bartek and Dom Bucko — who pitched the seventh — faced the minimum three batters in each of the final five innings.

Derry bunched together three singles to score in the top of the first and threatened for more, but Josh Bauer grounded into a double play to end the frame.

Bucko walked to lead off the Knoch first, stole second and scored on Mike McCarty’s single to left.

The Knights (8-3, 6-2) scored three times in the second. Andy Pipes singled to center and Alex Altmire beat out a bunt for a hit. Ben McMillen bunted the runners up a base. Derek McGill and Bucko followed with run-scoring singles and Altmire scored on an errant throw.

“Once we scored those three runs, it puts pressure on the other team,” Knoch coach Sean O’Donnell said. “They feel like they can’t make another mistake at that point and it’s hard to play that way.”

Knoch’s final run occurred in the fourth. McMillen singled, was bunted to second by McGill, moved to third on a ground ball and scored on an infield error.

Zack Blystone singled with one out in Derry’s third, but was erased on a double play. Onreey Stewart had a two-out single in the fourth, but was thrown out by Dylan Swarmer while trying to steal second.

“We never got our offense going the way we like — moving runners — because we couldn’t get enough runners on base,” Flickinger said.

Knoch won for the eighth time in nine game. Derry had won six of its past seven.

“This is how we want to play,” O’Donnell said. “Pitch to contact and use our defense. Now, lately, we’ve been able to push some runs across the plate.”

Bartek yielded the mound to Bucko for the seventh inning. The Knights’ center fielder and closer ended the game with a strikeout and a pair of grounders to first.

“Once I approached 75 pitches, I knew I was coming out of the game. That’s how we do it,” Bartek said.

“They have their own Aroldis Chapman over there,” Flickinger said of Bucko. “He comes in and overpowers people. That’s a nice weapon to have.

“That’s a nice team they have.”

Derry 100 000 0 — 1 6 2

Knoch 130 100 x — 5 10 0

W: Jack Bartek 6IP (1K, 0BB). L: Josh Bauer 4IP (3K, 2BB).

Derry (7-3, 4-3): Zack Blystone 2-1B, Isaac Buterbaugh 1B, Alex Ulery 1B RBI, Onreey Stewart 1B, Ryan Polinsky 1B

Knoch (8-3, 6-2): Dom Bucko 1B RBI, Mike McCarty 2-1B RBI, Dylan Swarmer 1B, Andy Pipes 2-1B, Alex Altmire 1B, Ben McMillen 1B 2B, Derek McGill 1B RBI

Wednesday: Knoch at Highlands