Put the ball in play and throw strikes.

"It sounds so simple, but it's something we weren't doing last year," said Pine-Richland baseball coach Kurt Wolfe.

The Rams are doing plenty of it in 2009.

Pine-Richland banged out 16 hits and pitcher Mike Benton walked only one batter in a complete-game performance Wednesday as the Rams rolled past Knoch 15-3 in five innings at Pullman Park.

Coming off a 10-10 season a year ago, P-R is off to a 6-0 start this spring.

"We walked way too many guys last year," Wolfe said. "When you do that, your fielders lose focus and errors start to happen. We struck out at the plate far too much, too."

All nine Rams starters hit safely Wednesday.

Knoch starter Nathan Junk began the game with two scoreless innings, throwing only 21 pitches. He was touched up for nine runs and 10 hits in the third and fourth innings, however, throwing 70 pitches in those two frames.

"The good thing was that Nate challenged their hitters, even in that third inning," Knights coach Curt Schnur said. "He went after them.

"They have a lot of good players over there. They're deep. That's Quad-A baseball."

Benton threw 67 pitches 43 for strikes and threw more than 12 pitches in only one inning.

"The best pitch in baseball is strike one," Wolfe said. "We've been getting a lot of that."

After a solo homer by Andrew Wirtz gave the Knights (0-5) a 1-0 lead in the first, Pine-Richland struck for three runs in the third. Vinny Nittoli's two-run single highlighted the frame.

Undaunted, Knoch tied the game in the bottom of the third as Sam Stone delivered a sacrifice fly and Cullen Hinderliter added a two-out RBI single.

Then the roof caved in.

Pine-Richland scored six times in the fourth and fifth innings to win by the 10-run mercy rule. Mitch Elliott had a triple, two singles and two RBI, Nittoli had a triple, two singles and four RBI, and T.J. Kuban added three singles for the Rams.

Even the bottom three batters in P-R's lineup combined to score five runs.

Benton is one of seven pitchers Wolfe has to work with this season. Five of those pitchers don't play another position in the starting lineup.

By contrast, Hinderliter and Junk are 1-2 in Knoch's rotation while Schnur is searching for others to join them.

"Pitching is a tough place to have a hole in and I'm still looking for some arms," Schnur said. "That's the reality of where we are.

"I am concerned about where our confidence is right now. Nothing good comes from losing. We need to reach the point where we're competitive against the teams we play."

The Knights open section play Monday at Hampton.

Pine-Richland 15, Knoch 3WP: Mike Benton (5 IP) 2 strikeouts, 1 walk.

LP: Nathan Junk (3X\c IP) 3 strikeouts, 4 walks

Pine-Richland (6-0): Zach Laneve 1B, Mitch Elliott 2-1B 3B 2-RBI 2-R, Vinny Nittoli 2-1B 3B 4-RBI, TJ Kuban 3-1B RBI 2-R, Matt Yoklic 3B 2-RBI 2-R, Ryan Nussbaum 1B RBI, Russell Clark 1B, Ryan Owens 2B RBI 2-R, John Benton 2-1B RBI 2-R

Knoch (0-5): Sam Stone RBI, Andrew Wirtz HR, Cullen Hinderliter 1B RBI, Marcus Cashel 1B

Monday: Knoch at Hampton