For the last two seasons, Matthew Knauer has been Redwood High’s ace reliever. On Wednesday, Knauer was just a plain ace.

Knauer pitched 6.2 innings of no-hit ball and the Giants silenced Tam 2-0 in an MCAL semifinal baseball contest.

Knauer’s masterpiece propelled defending champion Redwood into a second consecutive league championship final.

The Giants, in a rematch of last season’s final, take on San Marin — a 10-inning 1-0 winner against Marin Catholic in the other semifinal — Friday at 7 p.m. at Albert Park in San Rafael.

“A couple of months ago, I don’t think there were too many people betting on us to make the finals again,” said Redwood coach Mike Firenzi, whose team struggled early in the season. “Baseball is a funny game. It’s high school baseball.”

Knauer came within one out of throwing a complete game no-hitter. But his pitch count ran out for the week.“Of course I wanted to stay in and finish the no-hitter,” Knauer said. “But I hit my pitch count and that’s that.”

Knauer, who closed out last year’s MCAL final, will not be involved as a pitcher in this year’s title tilt.

“It’s out of my hands now,” said Knauer, who struck out six and walked seven. “All I can do is watch.”

The pitchers’ duel was actually a double no-hitter until Redwood leadoff hitter Theo Trono poked a single into right field to start the sixth.

Tam starter Eli Solem matched Knauer zero for zero and retired 10 of 11 before Trono’s hit.

“We knew this was going to be a tough game,” Firenzi said. “Tam, after a bye in the opening round, was fully loaded with all their pitchers. Our pitcher just pitched a little better today.”

It was something of an up-and-down outing for Knauer, who said he lost command of his fastball in the third or fourth inning.

“Luckily my slider was my best pitch,” Knauer said. “And in the sixth inning, I got my fastball back and they couldn’t hit me from there.”

Southpaw sophomore Maxim Wells took over in the seventh and fanned the only batter he faced to notch the save.

The Giants, who have struggled at times at the plate this season, could not cash in on Solem’s three walks in the first two innings.

“Not scoring many runs has been kind of a theme this season,” Knauer said. “But as long as we got one, that’s all I needed.”

Knauer dodged a couple of bullets early after walking six batters in three innings.

But Tam could never come up with the big hit against the dogged tenacity of Knauer.

Redwood scored both of its runs in the seventh.

Chase Johnson led off with a single and pinch runner Willy Steele took over from there. Steele went to second on a wild pitch, to third on another wild pitch, and scored the game’s first run when he slid across home plate headfirst on a passed ball.

TJ Beck accounted for Redwood’s other run. He singled to right, stole second and advanced to third on an error. Beck scored on a wild pitch.

Around the county

San Marin and Marin Catholic exchanged scoreless innings until the 10th when the Mustangs manufactured a run on a hit by pitch, a walk, and an error to secure a 1-0 victory at home in the MCAL semifinals on Wednesday.

Dylan Procopio started the rally when he was hit by a pitch with one out. Pinch runner Connor Simpson stole second then advanced to third on a wild pitch before Joey Cippolina drew a walk to put two runners on with two outs. Hugh Brady put the ball in play during the next at-bat, forcing the error from MC and allowing Simpson to score the game’s only run.

San Marin starter Sean McGrath pitched 8.2 innings, allowing four hits and striking out 12. Tanner O’Keefe pitched 1.1 innings to earn the victory.

MC starter Walker Untermann worked six innings, allowing five hits and striking out four. Cooper Benjamin didn’t allow a hit and struck out eight in 3-2 innings of relief.

Cippolina was the only player on either team to have two hits. San Marin faces Redwood for the league title at 7 p.m. on Friday at Albert Park in San Rafael.