BELHAVEN — No matter the sport, it’s always dramatic when Pungo and Terra Ceia clash. The stakes were raised further because both teams had something to play for. A win for Pungo meant staying in the race for the conference championship. Terra Ceia was fighting to clinch their No. 3 spot in the conference and to prove this season’s progress.

It was the latter that pulled through as the Knights topped the hosting Raiders, 4-2. It was Pungo that broke through first with a run in the bottom of the third, but Terra Ceia’s three-run fourth-inning response was enough to win the game on enemy territory.

“It means so much for us, for these guys,” Terra Ceia coach Roger Klaassen said. “We’ve been there and just haven’t been able to close the door. Today, before the game, I told them, ‘You’ve got to believe we can.’ I think we saw it. They made the plays they needed to.”

 

The Raiders drew first blood after two and a half quiet innings. Leadoff batter Brady Hudnell hit a foul ball toward his dugout on one of the first pitches to come his way. Terra Ceia catcher Quentin Van Essendelft made an incredible play by hustling and throwing himself into the fence to get the out.

Landon Woolard reached on an error at shortstop. He made his way to second on the error and then took third on a passed ball.

The Knights minimized the damage when pitcher Tyler Hendrix induced a groundout to first base, stranding two runners in scoring position.

Instead of reeling from the blow, Terra Ceia struck right back. Austin Roscoe led off by drawing a walk. As he tried to steal second, Pungo’s catcher overthrew the pickoff attempt, allowing Roscoe to take third, too. Hendrix and Chase Furlough also drew walks to load the bases.

Johannes Van Essendelft’s bat put the Knights on top when he scored Roscoe and Hendrix. Furlough came across for the game-winning run when another failed pickoff attempt gave him the opening he needed.

“The expectations were high and we expected to do well,” Pungo coach Joseph Hudnell said. “We didn’t show up to bat and we made too many errors. … I’m sure there was some pressure there, but if we don’t bat and can’t field the ball, then it’s a lose-lose situation.”

The two neutralized each other until the Knights struck again in the bottom of the fifth. They extended their run to 4-1 when Wilson Van Stallduinen led off with a single and scored thanks to back-to-back Raider errors.

The Raiders loaded the bases with two outs, threatening to make a late comeback. They got one across before Terra Ceia’s defense rebounded and left three Raiders out to dry.

Roscoe kept rolling in the bottom of the seventh by only allowing Pungo to send four batters to the plate. He induced a groundout to third and another to himself with a double by Will Respess sandwiched between them. He sealed the win by fanning the final Raider.