KNIGHTS DEFEAT NO. 3 PALOMAR, 9-6

The Knights snapped a 3-game losing streak by earning a 9-6 home win over No. 3-ranked Palomar on Thursday afternoon. Starting pitcher Jake Lipetzky improved to 5-4 after allowing one earned run with eight strikeouts in six innings. 

City scored two runs in the third inning and four more in the sixth to take a 6-0 lead. Nolan Burr, who reached on a single, made his way to third on an error and then scored the game's first run on the throw to second on Matt Bagdasar's steal. Bagdasar then scored on a wild pitch to put the Knights ahead 2-0 after three innings. 

The Knights loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth inning and came away with four runs, two on a hit-by-pitch and a walk. Tanner Logan then got a pinch-hit single and Bagdasar followed with a sacrifice fly. 

Palomar got back in the game with a run in the seventh inning and three more in the eighth that came off a 3-run home run by Conor McCkenna to cut City's lead to 6-4. 

With the bases loaded once again in the bottom of the 8th, Bagdasar earned an RBI on a hit-by-pitch and Jonathon Sandberg followed with a 2-RBI single to put the Knights ahead, 9-4. 

Palomar scored two unearned runs in the top of the 9th and had runners on first and third with one out, but Cesar Fitch settled in and got the final two batters to strikeout and ground out to end the game. 

City will finish the season series at Palomar on Friday at 2 p.m. The Knights will host two of the the three games against Mesa next week on Tuesday, April 3 and Saturday, April 7.