Sabine leads Knights past Black Bears

On paper, it looked like Stewart Sabine single-handedly whipped River View. The lanky senior went 3-for-4 with an RBI, while throwing six strong innings to lead the Knights to a 12-2 triumph Monday, April 19, in Warsaw.Sabine had plenty of help, however. Joey Gonzalez blasted a home run and Bryce Norman launched a grand slam as the Knights put up crooked numbers in three of the six innings.“I just saw the ball really well today, and put a good stick on it,” Sabine said. “I struggled with balls and strikes early, but settled down in the second and third innings. I settled in and started hitting spots and got the outs.” The Knights scored a pair of unearned runs in the first inning. Cory McVicker doubled and Norman got hit by a pitch. Kyle Hanna launched a long fly to right field that was misplayed into a two-base error.Gonzalez slammed a solo shot to center field with two outs in the third inning. Norman singled and moved up to third on wild pitches as Hanna walked. Derek Reusser drove in Norman with a single and Stevie Thomas singled to score Hanna, but Reusser was caught in between second and third to end the rally.River View scored a run in the home half of the third on a walk and three singles, two of them infield hits.West Holmes answered with five in the fourth, four coming on Norman’s slam. Hanna walked and came around to score on a single by Reusser that was misplayed into a two-base error.Schuyler King’s day was done on the hill for the Black Bears.Sabine greeted River View’s relief pitcher with a single to left. Brant Miller walked and both runners moved up on a wild pitch. Sabine scored on a ground out by Cory McVicker to put the Knights up 11-1.A lead-off walk and an RBI double by Nick Meyers extended the game another inning for the Black Bears.Reusser, who went 3-for-4 with an RBI, started the sixth off with a solid single. He moved to second on a walk to Thomas, and Sabine drove him in with his third hit of the day.He then went out and retired the side in order to end the game after six innings. Sabine scattered seven hits, striking out seven and walking three.He really settled into a groove after the first inning, taking advantage of a wide strike zone.“I like an umpire like that. When you get through the first inning and see they weren’t swinging at it, you just paint where he’s calling it, and that’s your game,” West Holmes catcher Kyle Hanna said. “Stew was hitting his spots very well tonight.”West Holmes improved its record to 7-5 with the victory.