Just maintain control even while losing yours.

Knoch pitcher Nathan Junk took that advice to heart as the Knights posted a 4-0 Section 1-AAA baseball victory over Ambridge Wednesday afternoon at Pullman Park.

The sophomore right-hander cruised through the first six innings, throwing only 73 pitches with no walks. But after retiring Steve Duke on a grounder back to the mound to start the seventh, he walked the next three batters.

"Coach (Curt Schnur) walked to the mound and wanted to take me out," Junk said. "I told him no. It was my game, I felt fine and I wanted to finish it."

Schnur said he was concerned about Junk's pitch count at the time.

"He had never thrown a complete game before and he was up over 90 pitches," Schnur said. "He told me it was his game and he was going to finish it. ... He would have come out of the game had he not said that."

Junk struck out Ambridge's No. 3 hitter Josh Peters for the second out. When a pitch to Zach Nichi bounced in the dirt and to the backstop, the Bridgers' Joe Bachor tried to score from third.

However, catcher Jeff Kolish retrieved the ball, fired to Junk covering at the plate and Bachor was tagged out to end the game.

"(Bachor) is a young player. He has to be 100 percent sure he's going to score before taking off like that," Ambridge coach Scott McGee said.

The Bridgers are averaging only two runs per game and were shut out for the third time.

The Knights stranded 13 runners, including with the bases loaded on three occasions, and Ambridge left nine men on base.

"We've been having trouble getting runners in scoring position home," Schnur said. "But with Nathan pitching the way he was and us getting all those chances, it was bound to happen for us sooner or later."

Ambridge pitcher Nate Cybak walked nine and hit three batters, but the game still was scoreless in the fifth inning. Knoch finally scored in the bottom of the frame.

In that inning, Cullen Hinderliter was hit by a pitch and Dale Gallo walked. With one out, Marcus Cashell grounded a single into right field to plate Hinderliter.

The Knights added three more runs in the sixth. Andrew Wirtz doubled to left, Hinderliter was again hit by a pitch and Robert Zanella walked with one out. That ended Cybak's day at 124 pitches.

Gallo greeted relief pitcher John Sherrock with a two-run single to right. Zanella eventually scored on a wild pitch.

After an 0-5 start, Knoch has won three in a row, outscoring the opposition 23-4, and is 2-0 in section play.

"Things were tough for a while, but we're going to keep building on this," Junk said.

Junk threw 41 strikes out of 57 pitches in the first five innings while the game was scoreless.

"You can't ask anything more of Nathan Junk's performance today," Schnur said. "We had to get him a win."

Ambridge 000 000 0 0 6 0Knoch 000 013 x 4 5 1W: Nathan Junk (7 IP) 6 K, 3 BB.

L: Nate Cybak (5Z\c IP) 8 K, 9 BB.

Ambridge (3-4, 1-1): Luke Burton 1B, Kolby Addis 1B Zach Nichi 2-1B, Jesse Grundza 1B, Joe Bachor 1B

Knoch (3-5, 2-0): Andrew Wirtz 2B, Sam Stone 2B, Cullen Hinderliter 2-R, Robert Zanella 1B, Dale Gallo 1B 2-RBI, Marcus Cashell 1B RBI

Monday: Knoch at New Castle