Opportunity Knochs
FREEPORT — A missed opportunity for Freeport led to a golden one for Knoch and the Knights made sure to cash in.
The Yellowjackets had runners on second and third base with no outs in the bottom of the eighth of a 4-4 game Thursday afternoon, but Knoch relief pitcher Lance Cotton managed his best Houdini imitation, escaping the jam with no damage done of the scoreboard.
In the next half inning, Knoch received a two-out double from Ethan Sloane before a throwing error allowed him to score the go-ahead run. Ben McMillen then stroked an RBI-single that plated Evan Wynn with what turned out to be the winning run in the Knights' 6-5 extra-inning victory at Freeport Community Park.
The win clinches the Section 1-4A title outright for Knoch (14-1, 13-1), whose only loss to date was a 5-3 setback to the 'Jackets in mid-April.
“It takes two good teams to make a rivalry,” said Knoch coach Sean O'Donnell. “What we had here today were two teams who hate losing and we're right next door to each other.”
Cotton, who relieved Knoch starter Jack Bartek at the start of the seventh inning, found himself in the eighth-inning jam due to no fault of his own. Two throwing errors had put the Knights on the brink of defeat. But Cotton tallied two huge strikeouts before an intentional walk to Brodey Cowan loaded the bases. Sean Furlong was retired on a flyout to end the threat.
“I'm not really sure what I was thinking. Everything was just a blur,” Cotton said of his mind-set during the jam. “The umpire's strike zone was about a half-inch off the plate and I kept trying to hit that spot with outside fastballs. (Catcher) Dylan Swarmer did a great job of calling the game.”
Cotton allowed a solo home run to Ben Beale in the bottom of the ninth, but the 'Jackets could not score the tying run.
“We've needed a lot of arms recently and Lance has come up big for us, including as a starter,” said O'Donnell.
Freeport coach Ed Carr put the loss in perspective for his players.
“The regular season is the first chapter and that's almost over,” he said. “Chapter 2 is the playoffs and we'll see what happens there.
“That bottom of the eighth, those are the kinds of opportunities we normally take advantage of,” added Carr. “Second and third with no outs, we had several options there. I didn't want to run the suicide squeeze, we did that earlier in the game and it turned into a double play. We also missed some plays on defense, but those guys have been there all season for us.”
The 'Jackets (11-2, 11-2) broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the fifth when Matt Charlton singled in Cowan. Bartek then walked Jarrett Heilman with the bases loaded to force in a fourth run.
But Knoch rallied with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh. Furlong was relieved by Cowan at the start of the frame. The latter was greeted with a lead-off triple off the bat of Alex Altmire. He scored on Andy Pipes' sacrifice fly. Jake Herrit doubled home Wynn with two outs to tie the game. After managing just one hit over the first four innings, the Knights scored four runs on nine hits in the fifth through the seventh.
“We were hitting the ball early, just right at guys,” said O'Donnell. “We kept telling our guys to trust their swings and it paid off.”
Knoch 000 020 202 — 6 12 3
Freeport 000 220 001 — 5 10 3
W: Lance Cotton 3 IP (3K, 2BB). L: Brodey Cowan 3 IP (0K, 0BB).
Knoch (14-1, 13-1): Alex Altmire 2-1B 3B 2R, Andy Pipes 2B 3RBI, Ethan Sloane 2-2B R, Dylan Swarmer 1B, Jake Herrit 1B 2B RBI, Ben McMillen 1B RBI, Sean McGill 1B R, Gavin Phillips 1B, Evan Wynn 2R
Freeport (11-2, 11-2): Brodey Cowan 1B 2B R, Sean Furlong 1B R, Matt Charlton 2-1B RBI, Aiden Ehalt 2-1B, Ben Beale HR 2R, Jarrett Heilman 1B 2RBI, Gavin Skradski 1B RBI, Zach Allen R
Monday: Pine-Richland at Knoch
Tuesday: Freeport at Derry
