The Kardiac Knights win Game 1 of the huge section series with Indiana 10-9 in 9 innings.  

Knoch and Indiana entered Monday’s game at Pullman Park with matching 4-2 section records, trailing 5-1 North Catholic in first place in Section 1, 4A.  The Knights overcame 4 defensive errors and costly base running mistakes to come back from a 5-1 deficit in the fourth inning.  

Cody Stull got the start on the mound for the Knights against a potent Indians offense and exited after 3 2/3 innings.  Jacob Stallsmith threw 3 1/3 in relief, allowing 2 hits and 2 runs with only 1 earned run, while getting 4 strikeouts and flashing some leather on the mound to help his own cause.  DeLeonardis threw 2 innings of 1 hit ball to earn the win and did not surrender an earned run.  

Brady Wozniak staked Knoch to a 1-0 lead in the first inning with a line drive single to score Angelo DeLeonardis.  

In the bottom of the 4th, Dathan Gillis tripled down the left field line to score Logan Cypher as Knoch started to chip away at Indiana’s lead.  Wozniak picked up another RBI in the 5th on a single that scored Jacob Wagner, who led off the inning with a single.  Isaac Roddy doubled and moved Wozniak to third, but that was it for Knoch in the 5th.  Indiana answered with a run in the top of the 6th to go up 6-3.  

Knoch picked up 2 more runs in the bottom of the 6th.  Logan Cypher crushed a lead off triple to center field and scored when Eli Sutton hit a 2 out triple that also scored Wagner.  

In the 7th and down a run, Isaac Roddy got on base when he was hit by a pitch.  Luke DiSanti, who was cleared to hit Monday morning after an injury in the preseason, hit a line drive single in his first regular season at bat to move Roddy to third.  Roddy scored to tie the game at 6 on a Cypher groundout.  

In the top of the 8th Indiana loaded the bases on a bunt single on DeLeonardis’ first pitch of the game.  The Indians picked up a run on an error to take a 1 run lead.  

DeLeonardis led off the Knoch half of the 8th with a double and scored on a throwing error by the first baseman after a dropped third strike against a Knoch batter.  The Indians would plate two more in the top of the 9th on a Knights’ throwing error, and take a 9-7 lead.  

In the bottom half of the 9th, Wozniak led off with a walk, followed by Roddy who was hit by a pitch for the second time in the game.  Cypher was then hit by a pitch with 1 out to load the bases.  Dathan Gillis singled to center on the first pitch of his at bat to score Wozniak and Roddy.  DeLeonardis reached on an error to load the bases for Braden Kriley.  In his first regular season varsity at bat, Kriley chopped an infield single to score Cypher and give the Knights the huge section win and clinch a playoff berth.  

The Knights travel to Indiana Tuesday at 4 for Game 2 at 4:00.