By Jake Schroer
Crow River News Sports
STMA won three more games to extend its winning streak to 10 games. The Knights beat North Branch 9-0 and St. Francis 6-4 before defeating Hopkins 5-3.
A seven-run fifth inning lifted the Knights to a 9-0 win over the North Branch Vikings on Tuesday.
Hunter Wilcox drove home a pair of runs as he recorded a pair of hits. Paxton Thompson also recorded two hits and drove in two runs. Will Berning threw five innings of shutout baseball for the win. Kyle Hayden finished the last two innings for the Knights.
ST. FRANCIS RALLY
After stumbling early, the Knights rallied to beat the St. Francis Saints 6-4 on Friday.
The Saints put up four runs in the opening inning, jumping on starter Travis Brown. Brown settled in after the first, striking out 11 total batters on the day and pitching five innings.
Cody Kelly had two hits for the Knights.
STMA tied the score 4-4 in the sixth inning and then took the lead 6-4 as Kelly and Levi Falde came in to score.
Paxton Thompson drove in a pair of runs in the clutch to help the Knights take the win. Travis Brown pitched five innings for the Knights and Kyle Hayden relieved him for the sixth and seventh to pick up the win.
HOPKINS
The Knights defeated the Hopkins Royals during the Strike Out Cancer game 5-3. This one was about more than baseball; both teams honored young Tucker Helstrom, who is currently battling cancer.
In game action, the Knights got three hits and two RBI from Paxton Thompson and two more RBI from Jack Kelly. STMA built a 5-2 lead and did not relinquish it, though the Royals did get the tying run to the plate with two outs in the seventh. A strikeout ended the threat and the game.
Kyle Hayden started the game and Isaiah Harken finished it for STMA.
“I’m very pleased at this point. Our pitching and defense has done the job and our hitters have done what they’ve needed to,” head coach Paul Schumm said.
The Knights played Princeton on Tuesday. They play at Monticello on Thursday and at Brainerd on Friday.