Nichirin, the defending Marshall County Babe Ruth League champions were in danger of dropping to 1-4 in league play as A-Plus Collision Center jumped out to an early 3-0 lead before the hose makers rallied to win 4-3 in eight innings Friday night at the Jonathan D. Hollingsworth Memorial Babe Ruth Field in Lewisburg.

Josh McKnight capped off the win with the game winning hit in the bottom of the eighth inning, dropping the dent fixers to 1-4 on the season.

McKnight started on the mound for Nichirin and went the first five innings, surrendering three unearned runs on five hits, while striking out four and walking two body shop batters.

Winning pitcher

Madison Peete was the winner on the hill, tossing three innings of shutout ball in relief of McKnight.

Peete gave up just two hits, while issuing four bases on balls and whiffing five A-Plus hitters.

Bryce Wunderlin knocked home the first two runs for A-Plus in the top of the first inning and an Ethan Evans fielder's choice RBI that sent Lucas Welch to the plate in the second inning made it a 3-0 contest.

A-Plus starter Braden Gentry held Bradley Maddox's squad scoreless through the first two innings before Nichirin finally broke their scoring drought when Quinton Martinez walked, leading off the bottom of the third, before stealing second and coming in to score on a Peete RBI base knock.

A-Plus lead

A-Plus made it a one-run game in the bottom of the fourth as Gentry beaned McKnight to start the frame.

McKnight proceeded to swipe second base, went to third on a grounder and came home to score on an A-Plus error.

Brett McGehee, who went 2-5 in the contest, lined a base hit to lead off the top of the fifth, but McKnight set down the next three batters in order.

Wunderlin came to the hill for A-Plus in the bottom of the fifth and walked Peete and Jay Howard to begin the stanza.

Tying run

After a pop-up for the first out, A-Plus had a wreck, committing two errors on one play that sent McGehee home with the tying run.

Wunderlin escaped any further damage on a strikeout and an inning ending pop-up to Chase Karaczewski.

Peete survived a bases loaded two-out jam in the top of the sixth, beginning a stretch of two and half innings of scoreless ball, setting up the deciding bottom of the eighth inning for the industrious factory nine.

Howard walked to lead off the inning and promptly stole second base.

Going ahead

An intentional walk to Stuart Warner was followed by a passed ball, sending the Nichirin runners to second and third.

A line drive out to Logan Bailey at first extended the ballgame before McKnight ended the contest with a double into the leftfield corner.

Nichirin had just three hits in the contest, one each by Peete (1-3, BB, RS, RBI), McKnight (1-4, RS, RBI, HBP, SB), and Jacob Autry (1-4).

McGehee, Gentry (2-4, SB) and Wunderlin (2-4, 2 RBIs) all had two hits apiece for A-Plus, while Evans (1-4, RS, RBI, BB, SB) had the other base knock.