Fairview came to the plate comfortable and confident in the fifth inning of Tuesday’s home matchup with Frederick.

After scoring only one run in the first four frames, the Knights used their gained knowledge to crack the code on Frederick starting pitcher Preston Kissinger in the fifth, erupting for three extra-base hits and four runs. From there, Fairview’s bullpen locked down a 5-1 victory.

Senior Jack Espiritu-Niswonger delivered the first big hit of Fairview’s rally, drilling an RBI triple that scored Skyler Daniel.

“I learned a lot from the first two at-bats and really got to make the adjustment right there,” said Espiritu-Niswonger, a catcher who also bats leadoff for the Knights. “It was great to start that rally for the team and boost us ahead and give us that momentum to push us through and eventually take it in the end.”

Although Fairview’s bats were making strong contact in the early innings, head coach David Castillo was pleased to see his Knights stick with it and eventually get rewarded with a big fifth inning.

“We were hitting the ball pretty hard early, but it was just right at them,” Castillo said. “I’m glad the guys didn’t add any more pressure to themselves. They stuck with it, and we started finding some grass out there.”

Espiritu-Niswonger’s fifth-inning triple was followed by a run-scoring sacrifice fly from Tanner Craytor, an Isaac Waymire RBI triple and an Owen Max RBI double.

“Momentum is everything in this game,” said Espiritu-Niswonger, who recorded another triple in the sixth inning. “You’re going to go through ups and downs a lot, and when you get that momentum on your side, it feels really good.”

Particularly in league play, Fairview has momentum in its favor. Castillo’s Knights improved to 7-6 on the season and remain undefeated in the Class 5A Granite Peaks League at 5-0.

Meanwhile, Frederick saw its recent momentum come to a halt. The Golden Eagles entered Tuesday on a three-game winning streak but now sit 7-8 (1-3 Class 4A/3A Granite Peaks) on the season.

Frederick totaled six hits on the afternoon, including two singles from senior center fielder Danny Thompson.

“When we have our pitchers over here that are throwing strikes, we got to execute on that,” Thompson said. “We have to be more aggressive at the plate.”

Outside of his two matchups with Thompson, Max delivered a strong five innings on the bump for Fairview. The senior southpaw allowed four total hits and struck out one.

“He’s just always consistent,” Castillo said of Max. “He’s crafty and he’s a good competitor. He started off a little early with the ball up, but then he made the adjustment in getting the ball more down in the zone.”

Behind Max, Fairview relievers Jacob Jaramillo and Cooper Neumann each tossed a scoreless inning to seal the victory.

On Thursday, Fairview travels to Niwot while Frederick hosts Erie.