Knights stuck in deep freeze
JEFFERSON TWP — Pine-Richland pitcher John Karr was like the U.S. PostalService.
Neither rain, nor sleet (and even some wet snow) nor gloom of a windy and cold Wednesday afternoon could keep him from the swift completion of his appointed rounds.
And he delivered the Knoch baseball team a 3-1 loss at Laura Doerr Park.
Pitching in temperatures hovering in the mid-30s with a windchill in the teens, Karr struck out 11 Knights in seven innings. The right-hander gave up just four hits and the only run scored against him came on a bloop RBI single down the right field line by AustinLeffler.
"I've been fortunate enough to coach John since his sophomore year," said Pine-Richland coach Kurt Wolfe. "He's pitched in the last two WPIAL championship games and he wants the ball. Bad weather, crunch time, no matter what the situation, he wants to be the star."
He was the star against Knoch. Karr hit a line-drive, two-run home run over the right center field fence in the top of the third inning to break a 1-all tie, then made the lead hold up with his solid pitching.
"We knew we were in for a challenge," said Knoch coach Curt Schnur. "He's an excellent pitcher and he came out and threw strikes."
Wolfe wasn't concerned about the cold affecting his ace arm. Karr didn't throw as hard as he usually does — in the mid-80s — but threw harder in the later innings, getting out of minor jams in the fifth and seventh innings.
"I was more worried about their hitters," Wolfe said. "On a cold day, with aluminum bats — I didn't think they would be able to touch him. I was surprised they put the ball in play as much as they did."
Leffler had two of Knoch's four hits. DerrickClark doubled and Jordan Shoop skidded a grounder through the infield for a single in the fifth inning.
Karr's performance spoiled a fine pitching effort by Knoch left-hander KevinBacon, who made the one mistake against Karr that cost him.
"For our first complete game this year, Bacon did a good job," Schnur said. "He made good pitches, and I couldn't ask anything more of him."
Bacon struck out seven Pine-Richland batters in the first three innings, but didn't fan anyone after that.
Part of the problem, Wolfe said, was the fact he started three left-handed hitters who had never seen a southpaw pitcher before.
The top two hitters in theRams' lineup hit from the left side of the plate and went 1-for-8 with three strikeouts.Bacon also had his breaking pitches working."The umpire was calling the strike when it crossed the plate, not where it ended up," Wolfe said. "That really threw us off."After winning its first three games of the season, Knoch has dropped three straight, including the section opener to the Rams.But the Knights aren't about to hit the panic button just yet."Hey, we played one of the top teams in the section and hung right in there with them," Schnur said. "The season is too short to feel bad about yourself for too long."<B>Pine-Richland 012 000 0—3 9 1Knoch 100 000 0—1 4 2WP:</B> John Karr (7 IP) 11 strikeouts, 2 walks. <B>LP:</B> KevinBacon (7 IP) 7 strikeouts, 2 walks<B>Pine-Richland (3-0, 1-0):</B> Karr HR, 2-1B, 2-RBI, 2-R; Ryan Husbaum 1B; Tony DiPasquale 1B; Brian Miller 2B, 1B, RBI; Bryan Leones 2-1B<B>Knoch (3-3, 0-1):</B> Austin Leffler 2-1B, RBI; Derrick Clark 2B; Jordan Shoop 1B<B>Today:</B> Knoch at Hampton
