JEFFERSON TWP — If the Knoch baseball team needed a lesson on how walks and untimely miscues can affect a game's outcome, they got one.

The Knights outhit Ford City 16-7, but they also surrendered seven walks, had three costly passed balls and two fielding errors in an 11-8 loss to open the 2007 season at Laura Doerr Park on Monday afternoon.

The sixth inning saw the wheels fall off for the home team.

The Knights took the field in the top of the frame with the game tied at four.

When they finally came back to the dugout, they were facing an 11-4 deficit.

Relief pitcher Brandon Wissinger, who came in for Knoch starter Zach Mayes in the fourth inning, pitched well in his first two innings of work, not giving up a run or a hit in the fourth or fifth frames.

He was one out away from pitching a scoreless sixth inning when Lucas Prazenica scored on a passed ball.

It was the third and final run the Sabers scored on passed balls charged to Knoch catcher Derrick Clark.

"We're looking to find a catcher right now," said Knoch coach Curt Schnur. "And we're going to go through some growing pains until we find a replacement for Justin Demek, who started the last three years for us."

Following Prazenica's go-ahead run, Ford City's Ryan Hand hit a two-run home run, followed by three consecutive walks to Josh Hospodar, Derek Bush and Brandon Carson.

Wissinger, the eventual losing pitcher, was pulled in favor of Andrew Wirtz, who was greeted with a grand slam to center field off the bat of Ian Ferguson.

"It was just a matter of not getting ahead in the count, not throwing strikes," said Schnur of the costly free passes.

It was Ferguson's first varsity game.

"He's a sophomore and we're looking for him to be a utility player, and he comes in and hits a grand slam," said Ford City coach Larry Cujas. "We've got some younger kids who can hit the ball."

Down 11-4 with two at-bats left, the Knights scored one run in the sixth and three more in the seventh before the rally ended with Carter Haponski's consecutive strikeouts of Mark Stawecki and Mayes.

Schnur was encouraged by his team's effort at the plate, as the Knights had at least one hit in every inning and they managed at least two hits in every frame but the second.

Knoch's top three hitters in the batting order — Dan Pickard, Justin Thompson and Austin Leffler — combined for 10 hits, six runs scored and six RBI.

Thompson led the attack with four hits, including a double.

The Knights entered the bottom of the third inning down 4-1, but Leffler scored on Mayes' single in that inning and the fourth inning saw Stush Antosyk score on a base hit by Pickard, who later scored to tie the game on Thompson's single.

Ford City 103 007 0—11 7 4Knoch 101 201 3—8 16 2WP: Luke Szymanski (2 IP) 3 strikeouts, 0 walks.

LP: Brandon Wissinger (2 2/3 IP) 1 strikeout, 4 walks

Ford City (1-0): Ryan Hand 1B HR 2R 2 RBI, Brandon Carson 2B, Ian Ferguson HR 4 RBI

Knoch (0-1): Dan Pickard 3-1B 3R RBI, Justin Thompson 3-1B 2B R 3 RBI, Austin Leffler 1B 2-2B 2R 2 RBI, Derrick Clark 1B, Zach Mayes 1B RBI, Justin McGowen 2-1B RBI SB, Cam Fusko 1B, Stush Antosyk 1B 2R

Today: Burrell at Knoch