The Knoch baseball team put two frustrating section defeats behind it with a win over Mars Friday.

But the Knights are hoping the price wasn't too high.

Senior pitching ace Cullen Hinderliter took a line drive by D.J. DeLucia off his right foot in the top of the fifth inning of the Knights' 15-2 win over the Planets at Pullman Park.

The right-hander fell on the mound and was unable to put weight on the foot as he was assisted off the field.

Hinderliter earned the win, striking out five, walking none and giving up a pair of runs on four hits.

"We're hoping it's just a bruise. We'll find out after he gets checked out," said Knights coach Curt Schnur.

Knoch (11-7, 8-4) already clinched a WPIAL Class AAA playoff spot before the game.

Mars (10-9, 6-6), on the other hand, needed a win to make the playoffs. But the Planets' hopes faded in the wake of Knoch's 10 runs in the bottom of the first inning.

DeLucia started on the mound and retired the first two batters he faced.

Knoch then sent 16 batters to the plate with two outs.

It started with consecutive walks to Robert Zanella and Hinderliter, followed by an RBI single from Dale Gallo.

DeLucia missed a chance to get out of the inning down just 1-0 when a ball off the bat of Marcus Cashell was misplayed in the infield, allowing courtesy runner Mark Keck to score.

After a walk and a two-run single by Zane Voltz, DeLucia was relieved by southpaw Nick Comport, who was treated no better by Knoch's lineup.

Three walks and three infield singles later, Comport left in favor of Nick Bushee with the Knights up 9-0.

"D.J. has pretty good stuff," said Mars coach Brian Hobaugh. "But he has had some trouble this season staying consistent. That error didn't help him, either."

The Knights tallied another unearned run to cap the 10-run frame before Bushee managed to get his team back in the dugout.

"Anything can happen, that's what we tell the players," said Schnur of his team's offensive outburst. "Whether there's no outs or two outs in an inning, you never know what can happen."

Knoch tacked on two more runs in the second inning on Nathan Junk's two-run single before the Planets got on the board when Tyler Dean singled and came home on Blake Friday's base hit in the top of the third.

But there was simply too much ground to make up, even for a Mars team that entered the game hitting .323.

Knoch will travel to Pine-Richland Monday for a nonsection game before learning its first-round playoff opponent.

"We were in the playoffs, but we really needed this win to get back on track and help our seeding," said Schnur.

Mars was 3-5 in section play following a loss at New Castle April 28. The Planets then won three in a row to put themselves into position to control their own destiny Friday.

It is quite a turnaround for a program that won only four games last season.

"It's like we've been playing playoff games lately," said Hobaugh. "We knew we had to keep winning to give ourselves a chance."

Mars 001 01x x — 2 5 2Knoch (10)20 3xx x — 15 10 0W: Cullen Hinderliter 4+ IP (5 K, 0 BB).

L: D.J. DeLucia X\c IP (1 K, 3 BB).

Mars (10-9, 6-6): Blake Friday 1B RBI, Ryan O'Connor 1B, D.J. DeLucia 1B R, Tyler Dean 1B R, Ryan McKenzie 2B RBI

Knoch (11-7, 8-4): Nathan Junk 2-1B R 2 RBI, Andrew Wirtz R, Robert Zanella 2-1B 3R RBI, Cullen Hinderliter RBI, Dale Gallo 1B 2R 2 RBI, Marcus Cashell R, Mac Megahan R, Zane Voltz 2-1B 2R 2 RBI, John DeWalt 3-1B R 2 RBI, Justin Wolford R RBI, Cody Beacom R, Mark Keck R RBI, Jon Campbell RBI

Monday: North Hills at Mars; Knoch at Pine-Richland