Knoch’s Lang shines in first varsity start
FREEPORT — If Hunter Lang had any jitters Friday afternoon, they certainly didn’t show.
Making his first varsity start on the mound, Knoch’s sophomore left-hander frustrated Freeport’s lineup, allowing just three hits in a 7-0 shutout of the Yellowjackets at Freeport Community Park.
“He kept the ball low and that was the key,” said Knoch coach Bill Stoops. “He was getting his curve over and did everything we asked him to do. He was tremendous and the defense made the plays.”
Until Friday, Hunter had a handful of relief appearances this season and was able to block out his recent outings.
“I didn’t do well the last few times I pitched,” he said, “but I had a couple of pitching lessons with (former Knoch pitcher) Alex Stobert and I had a lot of confidence coming in to today. It meant a lot to me to pitch the entire game.
“I had a different approach depending on who was batting. Against the top of the lineup, I threw a lot of curveballs and with the bottom, it was almost all fastballs.”
Hunter worked with striking efficiency. His gem included 85 pitches and would have been even less if not for a fielding error behind him in the bottom of the seventh. He struck out five and walked one.
Except for the one miscue, Knoch’s defense provided Hunter with strong support. The Knights’ infield turned a pair of double plays, one in the first frame and another in the sixth.
The Knights (4-8) tallied just six hits, but feasted on Freeport’s poor defensive play. Three times a steal of third base resulted in a run thanks to a throwing error.
“We have a young team, a lot of sophomores,” said Yellowjackets coach Ed Carr. “Our pitching has kept us in games and before today, our defense was impeccable. We’ve lost a lot of one- and two-run games and as long as the effort is there, I’m OK with that. But today, the effort was disappointing. It’s a major setback.”
Leading 1-0, Knoch broke open the game with five runs in the fourth inning. Sean Morgan led off with a double off of Freeport starter Cam Zigo and Logan Cypher followed with a single. The Knights did not have another hit in the inning, but two runs came home on passed balls.
Robbie Schreckengost worked the final 3 2/3 innings for the ‘Jackets, striking out five and walking two.
Dan King doubled for Freeport (3-10) in the third and advanced to third base on a wild pitch, but was stranded.
Freeport (Class 3A) and Knoch (4A) are both currently on the outside looking in regarding the WPIAL playoff picture, but remain alive for a postseason berth. The outcome of the ‘Jackets’ upcoming series against East Allegheny and Knoch’s two dates with Hampton will go a long way in settling matters.
“We’ve had trouble getting over the hump this year, but the playoffs are still out there for us,” Stoops said.
Knoch 100 501 0 — 7 6 1
Freeport 000 000 0 — 0 3 4
W: Hunter Lang 7 IP (5K, 1BB). L: Cam Zigo 3.1 IP (K, BB).
Knoch: Kyle Morgan R RBI, Sean Morgan 2B R, Logan Cypher 2-1B R
Freeport: Dan King 2B, Kason Barker 1B, Matt Corfield 1B
Saturday: Knoch at Deer Lakes
Wednesday: Freeport at Highlands
