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American Fork • The American Fork baseball team managed to produce one more run than Lone Peak in the only offensive inning of a taut pitchers' duel Tuesday evening, allowing the Cavemen to top the Knights 6-5 to open a three-game set in a battle of ranked teams that was every bit as good as expected.

Both starting pitchers got a bit roughed up in the second inning. American Fork's Trell Morse gave up four runs with the help of the game's only error, but his teammates produced five runs in the bottom half against Payton Freeman.

When Morse came to bat in that inning, there were already three runs across and two runners still on the bags. He doubled and scored both of them to give his team a lead it would never relinquish.

"I noticed that every batter was getting a first-pitch fastball," he said. "It's always nice to help yourself when you're pitching, but what's even better is when my teammates get on before me and give me a chance to do that."

Both pitchers settled in after that and did what they've been doing all season — getting batters out. There were only six baserunners combined for the remainder of the contest.

Lone Peak had men at the corners with two outs in the top of the sixth when Boone Abbott was called on in relief. He retired four of the five batters he faced to secure the save for the Cavemen.

"I didn't really feel that much pressure coming into that situation," Abbott said. "I had confidence and I knew my team would back me up too."

The job isn't finished yet though. "This is a big win to get us started, but we've got to get them in the series," Abbott said. "We've been playing like this all year. It doesn't matter who we play, we just try to do our best."

Knight Colton Easton opened the game with a home run, but Morse said he was able to shake it off. "I told myself, 'So what? There's seven more innings.' Our motto all year is we're never out of the fight." —

American Fork 6, Lone Peak 5

• American Fork dealt Lone Peak its first league loss of the season with a one-run win.

• Lefty Trell Morse picked up the victory on the mound and also drove in the winning run with a double.

• The Cavemen move to 12-6, 10-3 but still trail the Knights (15-4, 12-1) by two games in the league standings.