Knocked off #1 Frontier big time!!!

CHALMERS -- Central Catholic and Frontier have played their share of high-scoring regular season baseball games in recent years.

Yet no one anticipated what happened on Monday.

Scott Windler's three-run home run highlighted a five-run first inning and sparked Class A No. 5 Central Catholic's 22-3 rout of No. 1 Frontier.

Windler homered twice and scored five runs, Reed Drysdale hit a grand slam and drove in six runs, and the Knights (5-3) took command early by building a 13-0 lead. A year ago, CC squandered a 5-0 first-inning lead in a loss to the Falcons.

"After it was 5-0, coach (Tim Bordenet) told us it was just like last year, and we've got to just keep hitting," Windler said. "So we did."

Frontier (10-1) won the teams' last two regular-season meetings, 17-11 and 9-8. But the Falcons could not keep pace against Knights starter Austin Munn (2-0).

The sophomore struck out 11 and allowed only four hits over five innings.

"I was really nervous all day sitting in school," Munn said. "I could barely handle it. I came out here and just stayed focused, and that first inning helped me out a lot. Those first two strikeouts got my focus in there, and I calmed down."

Frontier committed two errors in the first inning and four in the first three. Falcon pitchers gave CC nine baserunners with walks or hit batsmen. Frontier's lineup hit only one ball out of the infield in the first three innings: a flyout to center field.

"It should jolt us, get our attention, because we certainly gave up too many runs and just weren't ready to play from the start," Frontier coach Ryan Long said. "We'll come back tomorrow, hopefully learn from it and get back after it."

Munn's two-run single keyed a four-run second inning. Travis Demerly (3-1), making his third start against CC in as many years, was chased by a four-run third inning.

Ryan DeBoy's three-run home run and Drysdale's slam came in a nine-run fifth inning. The offensive explosion came at an opportune time for the Knights, who managed one run on three hits in losses to Mishawaka Marian and Cathedral on Saturday.

"After our two losses at Mishawaka, we were determined and focused," Windler said.