Lucas Thompson Leads Knights at Fluor Field

The SJCS Varsity baseball team made its annual visit to Fluor Field on Friday night, and the Knights had to work to manufacture runs in a variety of ways.

Fortunately, with the way Lucas Thompson was pitching, the Knights had plenty of time to do just that, and the result was a 7-4 victory over rival Christ Church.

Thompson, the Knights' junior right-hander, was outstanding, limiting the Cavaliers to one run on three hits and one walk through the first six innings.

He left with one out and runners on first and second in the seventh. Both runners scored, so his final line looked less impressive -- 6 1/3 innings, three runs on four hits -- but he was splendid nonetheless.

He struck out nine -- five in a row at one point -- and walked two. Of his 99 pitches, 63 were strikes.
 

Thompson was relieved by senior right-hander Nolan Green, who allowed a couple of hits but struck out two, including one for the final out that sealed the victory and a region sweep of the Cavaliers.

Offensively, the Knights (4-2, 2-0) made the most of five hits, five walks, three hit batsmen and three errors on the part of the Cavaliers.

St. Joe's went on top with three runs in the bottom of the second. Frank Remsberg and Sam Utecht singled and John Campbell was hit by a pitch, loading the bases with one out. Walks to Jackson Campbell and Christian Timko forced in a pair of runs, and Quinn Walsh hit into a fielder's choice to drive in another, making it 3-0.

In the fourth, John Campbell again was hit by a pitch. Jackson Campbell singled and Timko singled, again loading the bases with one out.

John Campbell came home on Walsh's sacrifice fly, and when the throw to third skipped far enough away, Jackson Campbell raced home as well, giving the Knights a 5-0 advantage.

Christ Church finally touched up Thompson for a run in the sixth, but the Knights responded by scratching out a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning.

Timko was hit by a pitch and Walsh and Josh Lyons reached on errors, loading the bases with one out. John Eberstein's sacrifice fly knocked in Timko, and Walsh scored on a passed ball, putting the Knights on top 7-1.

That was more than enough, and despite the Cavs' seventh-inning rally, the Knights had their second win over their arch rivals in four days and a 2-0 start in the region.

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