Knights Hang On For a 6-4 Home-Opening Win

Two days after falling at College of the Desert, 10-9, in 10 innings, the Knights responded with a 6-4 home opening win over Desert on Thursday in which starting pitcher Dustyn Burns allowed only one hit in 6.1 scoreless innings. 

Neither team was able to get a run on the board until the bottom of the 4th when the Knights hit back-to-back doubles. With one out, Gavin Daley reached on a double to left field. Cameron Breeze came up next and hit a double down the right field line to produce City's first run. 

After advancing to third base on a wild pitch, Breeze scored the second run on Daniel Tatis' sacrifice fly. Orlando Arellano then capped the inning off with a solo homer to right field to give the Knights a 3-0 lead.

Desert threatened in the top of the 7th when they had runners at the corners with two out, but City reliever Brody McAuliffe got the next batter to ground out to end the inning. 

In the bottom of the 7th, Arellano and Aaron Herrera got on on a walk and single, respectively, and Isaac Valle and Anthony Felice followed with consecutive RBi singles to extend City's lead to 5-0.

Knights' closer Nico Lopez started the top of the 8th and got into some trouble by loading the bases with one out, but he struck out the next two batters to keep Desert scoreless.

The Knights then added their sixth run in the bottom of the 8th on an RBI single by Mekenna Wakakuwa that scored Daley. 

Desert loaded the bases once again in the top of the 9th, but put four runs on the board after an RBI walk, a 2-RBI single, and an RBI hit-by-pitch. With two out and the bases still loaded, Lopez got the final batter to fly out to center field as the Knights hung on for the first win of 2025.

THe Knights will be home again on Saturday vs. Mt. San Jacinto with the first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.