KNIGHTS BASEBALL SWEEP SAN FRANCISCO IN A 15-1 VICTORY

Shasta College Baseball followed up its first win of the season yesterday at Cabrillo with a dominant 15–1 road victory over San Francisco on Saturday at Skyline College, completing an emphatic two-day statement and bringing their overall record to 2-3.

Shasta's offense stayed hot from the first pitch, striking in the opening inning when Tyler Zahniser doubled and came around to score on Caden Illingworth's RBI double for a quick 1–0 lead. The Knights added another run in the second, capitalizing on a pitching miscue as Logan Kuster reached on an error that allowed Kole Martinez to score and make it 2–0. Shasta kept the pressure on in the fourth when McCovey Williams ripped an RBI double to score Kuster, then scored himself on Illingworth's RBI single to push the margin to 4–0. San Francisco's lone answer came in the bottom half on an RBI double by Horacio Bucio, but that would be the only run the Rams scratched across all afternoon.

The Knights blew the game wide open in the sixth, taking advantage of defensive miscues to hang a three-spot and extend the lead to 8–1. Zahniser and Williams both scored on an error before Illingworth crossed the plate on a Spencer Lee single, with Clayton Jeanneret's double later in the frame driving in Lee to cap the surge. Shasta's lineup refused to let up late, tacking on four more runs in the eighth courtesy of an RBI single by Jeanneret and a two-run knock by Kasen Ludeman. In the ninth, Aidan Rice singled home Tanner Franklin, and Jeanneret put an exclamation point on the rout with a three-run homer, finishing off a 17-hit, 15-run outburst.

On the mound, Shasta was just as sharp, as starter Joseph Ruettgers set the tone with five strong innings, limiting San Francisco to one run on five hits while striking out seven. He handed the ball to a lockdown bullpen, with Ryker Tweedy, Jacob Lindell, Jayden Knight, andBryan Houghton combining for four scoreless frames, only one hit allowed, and three strikeouts to close the door. The staff held San Francisco to six hits and one run while racking up 10 strikeouts and issuing just five walks, never allowing the Rams to build momentum.

Jeanneret put together a standout day at the plate, going 3-for-5 with a double, a home run, and four RBI to lead a balanced Shasta attack. Zahniser reached base twice and scored two runs, Illingworth drove in four with a pair of extra-base hits, and Williams added two hits, including a run-scoring double, as eight different Knights recorded at least one hit. Shasta also flashed leather with a clean defensive effort, turning a key double play involving Spencer Lee, Martinez and Kuster to help the pitching staff cruise.

Coupled with Friday's breakthrough win at Cabrillo, Shasta's decisive victory at San Francisco gives the Knights back-to-back road wins to open their Bay Area swing and early-season momentum. After grinding out that first victory, Shasta's offense erupted and its pitching dominated in San Francisco, signaling a team finding its stride quickly as it returns home with confidence and a 2–1 mark against Coast opponents to start the 2026 campaign.