JEFFERSONTWP — Hampton baseball coach Gary Wilson almost lifted Scott Wilson for a pinch-hitter in Wednesday's game against Knoch.

As it turned out, Scott Wilson lifted the Talbots to the big section win.

The Talbots outfielder smacked an RBI double in the top of the eighth inning that proved to be the difference in a 7-6 victory over the Knights at Laura Doerr Park.

"Scott struggled early," said coach Wilson, who is not related to Scott. "I was going to pinch hit for him, but my assistant coach had a feeling he would do something and he did."

Wilson's hit drove home Justin Obringer, who opened the inning with a single off Knoch reliever Erik Christensen. A sacrifice bunt by Kevin Barberich moved Obringer to second.

The Knights had a shot in the bottom of the eighth when Dan Pickard and Austin Leffler hit consecutive two-out singles before Justin Demek, who was 4-for-4 before the at-bat, struck out to end the game.

The Talbots (9-3, 5-3) jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning when Knights starter Kevin Bacon allowed the first four Hampton batters to reach base.

RBI singles by Josh Campanella and Obringer helped pave the way to the lead, but the Talbots left the bases loaded after Bacon struck out two batters to end the inning.

Demek hit a two-out RBI double in the bottom of the first for the Knights (7-6, 4-4), but a solo home run by Chris Beatty in the top of the third inning rebuilt the Talbots' three-run advantage.

Knoch, which left the bases loaded in the second inning, climbed closer with a two-run single by Bacon in the third. The Knights took the lead in the fourth when Pickard singled with two outs and Leffler homered to left-center field for a 5-4 lead.

Just when things were looking good for the Knights, they began to unravel.

With a runner at first and two outs in the fifth inning, Hampton's John Boy hit a grounder to third base, which rolled through the legs of Jordan Shoop. A wild pitch then moved the runners into scoring position.

Bacon struck out Obringer, but a passed ball allowed him to reach first base and the tying run to score.

Bacon uncorked a wild pitch, but Demek's throw back to Bacon, who was covering home, was off the mark as Boy scored the go-ahead run.

"We were up 5-4, then gave up three outs in one inning," said Knoch coach Curt Schnur. "The guys have got to keep their heads up and believe they can recover. Hampton did a great job."

The Knights did recover when they plated the tying run in the sixth inning. With two outs and Pickard at first base, a stolen base moved him to second base before Demek lined an RBI single to knot the game at 6.

Hampton's Corey McGinnis pitched a complete game, striking out 12 batters and allowing two walks.

"He's a battler," said Wilson, "the kind of kid you have to pry the ball out of his hands. I thought of taking the ball from him a couple of times, but he still had velocity on the ball.

"The last two innings where probably two of his best innings,"Wilson added.

The Knights had 12 hits, but they came from just four hitters. Bacon also pitched a strong game, fanning eight hitters and walking two.

The game was a departure from the last time these two teams met, a 13-3 Hampton win earlier in the season.

"They blew us out the last time," said Schnur. "Our guys did a good job. The guys know they can compete. We had the opportunities to win. Things just didn't bounce our way."

Hampton 301 020 01—7 10 2Knoch 102 201 00—6 12 3WP: Corey McGinnis (8 IP) 12 strikeouts, 2 walks.

LP: Erik Christensen (1 IP) 0 strikeouts, 0 walks

Hampton (9-3, 5-3): Sean Hennessey 1B; Corey McGinnis 2B; Josh Campanella RBI 1B; Chris Beatty HR, 2-1B; Justin Obringer 3-1B, RBI; Scott Wilson 2B, RBI; John Boy RBI

Knoch (7-6, 4-4): Dan Pickard 3-1B; Austin Leffler HR, 2-1B, 2 RBI; Justin Demek 2-2B, 2-1B, 2 RBI; Kevin Bacon 2-1B, 2 RBI