Season-High 20 Hits For City; Perebzak Reaches 100 Strikeouts

San Diego City recorded a season-high 20 hits, including a combined nine from Isaiah Hilke and Alejandro Gonzalez, in Tuesday's 17-8 home win over Mesa in which starting pitcher Bobby Perebzak reached 100 strikeouts on the season.

The Knights have won six straight which is their longest streak since February of 2023 when they also won six in a row. They improved to 19-14 overall and 11-9 in the PCAC, which puts them in a second place tie with Southwestern.

San Diego City's offense has been on fire during this streak and Tuesday's game was no different. Fifteen of their 20 hits came in the first four innings as the Knights jumped out to a 14-2 lead.

Hilke, who went 5-fo-5, led the first inning off with a single and later scored the first of three City runs on a Jacob Pfitzner single. 

Alex Gonzalez, who went 4-for-6 with six RBI, got his second hit of the day, a double to left field, in the second inning to bring in two runs. After another hit from Pfitzner, Alex Chacon drove in two more runs on a single to center field. 

In the bottom of the third, Aiden Joaquin and Jesse Chacon each hit RBI doubles to left center to give the Knights a 9-0 lead. Gonzalez then belted a 2-run home run, his eighth of the season, to put the Knights ahead, 11-0.

Mesa got two runs back in the top of the fourth, but City answered with three more runs in the bottom half of the inning on a Chaz Kaneakua RBI double, a Joaquin RBI triple, and a Hilke RBI single.

Perebzak, meanwhile, struck out 11 batters in seven innings of work and is now second in the state with 100, just four strikouts behind the leader.

Gonzalez drove in two more runs in the bottom of the eighth on another double and then came home for City's 17th run on a wild pitch. 

Mesa scored four runs in the ninth, but it was too little, too late. 

During this six-game win streak, the Knights have produced 70 runs on 74 hits with a .357 team batting average.

They will play at Mesa on Thursday at 2 p.m. in the second game of the 3-game series. They will be back at Morley Field on Friday at 1 p.m. with San Diego City College President Ricky Shabazz throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at 12:55.

There will be a celebration of Public Health Week and Stress Awareness Month during Friday's game with free food and free baseball jerseys to the first 200 in attendance.