Cole Shinsky may not have been 100 percent, but you wouldn't have known it for the vast majority of Thursday's meeting with Valley.

After a shaky start, Knoch's sophomore left-hander appeared masterful on the mound in the Knights' 4-2 win at Kelly Automotive Park.

He set down 14 straight batters between the second and seventh innings, a string that was broken only when Valley's Alex Huffman reached on a throwing error.

“He had some arm problems earlier in the year,” said Knoch coach George Bradley. “Right now, he is where our other pitchers were back in February and March. He's starting to get there.”

Shinsky picked up his first win of the season by striking out eight and walking two while allowing two runs on just three hits in a complete-game effort.

He battled through the first two frames, allowing five baserunners in that span. The Vikings broke the ice when Dom Guzzi scored on a passed ball in the top of the first inning.

“I settled in and after that, I was fine,” said Shinsky. “This is definitely a big boost for my confidence.”

“He (Shinsky) has great stuff,” said Knoch catcher Asa Adams. “He just needed to find his groove.”

Shinsky said he did not begin to throw his curveball until the third inning, which turned out to be his first 1-2-3 frame.

“His curveball hurt us today,” said Valley coach Jim Perry. “We weren't sitting back on it. We only had (three) hits and you're not going to win many games with that.”

Knoch's offense quickly got the lead back in the bottom of the first as Chris Law and Caleb Thorn both drilled run-scoring doubles off Valley starter Nick Marzullo.

The Knights (6-4, 5-2) added a pair of insurance runs in the fourth inning with a dose of two-out lightning. Dominick Bucko's walk and stolen base were followed by RBI-singles from Jordan Hickey and Law for a 4-1 cushion.

Bradley was pleased with the production, especially after the Knights had runners on second and third with no outs in the second and failed to score.

“A lot of guys in our lineup are hitting the ball hard,” said Bradley. “I felt like we needed to score a few more runs and it was nice to see them respond. We got clutch hitting today.”

The Vikings (3-9, 2-5) managed a bit of a rally in the top of the seventh.

With two outs and one on, pinch-hitter Ian Kelly's infield single scored Huffman to cut Knoch's lead to two runs. But Shinsky induced Mikey McNabb to fly out to close the contest.

Marzullo was tagged with the defeat after striking out two and walking one in six innings.

Thorn, who batted clean-up, singled twice and doubled to pace the Knights' nine-hit attack. Hickey and Law both had two hits.

Valley 100 000 1 — 2 3 1

Knoch 200 200 x — 4 9 1

W: Cole Shinsky 7IP (8K, 3BB). L: Nick Marzullo 6IP (2K, 1BB).

Valley (3-9, 2-5): Dom Guzzi R, Jordan Frame 1B, Alex Huffman R, Jesse Iellimo 1B, Ian Kelly 1B RBI

Knoch (6-4, 5-2): Jordan Hickey 2-1B 2R RBI, Chris Law 1B 2B R 2RBI, Caleb Thorn 2-1B 2B RBI, Garrett Traggiai 1B, Jordan Kowalski 2B, Dominick Bucko R

Saturday: Knoch at Ellwood City