Karin’s yell more than made up for the silence in the opposing dugout of Monday’s game, as Dunkirk starting pitcher Zach Zentz and the rest of the Marauders muzzled the Fredonia Hillbillies all game long.

In the first rivalry showdown on the diamond this season between Dunkirk and Fredonia, the Marauders were in complete control with an 8-1 victory in Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 1 action at Dunkirk High School’s Al Stuhlmiller Field on Monday.

Dunkirk (5-1, 4-1) never trailed in the contest as Fredonia (3-6, 2-3) mustered just five singles all game against Zentz. The right-hander surrendered no extra-base hits, no walks and just one run in the complete game.

“Honestly, I just wanted to throw the ball. I know they are a good hitting team, so I thought I’d just let them hit the ball and let my team make plays,” Zentz said.

Dunkirk pitcher Zach Zentz delivers a pitch during Monday’s CCAA Division 1 baseball game against Fredonia at Dunkirk High School. Zentz threw a complete game for Dunkirk, only allowed one run, and earned the victory. OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen

“Zach works really hard at his craft. He has a lot of desire and puts a lot of effort into his game,” said Dunkirk head coach Frank Jagoda. “He was a leader amongst us all today.”

Monday was Dunkirk’s day — especially for Zentz, who ran away from Fredonia just as he ran from his catcher, Donnie Jackson, chasing after him to try to shower him with water on two separate occasions in the chilly, windy conditions. And just like he was against Fredonia all day, Zentz was always just a few steps ahead.

But it wasn’t just Zentz on the bump that stood out — he also proved he has a little thunder in his bat.

Zentz gave the Marauders the lead from the No. 9 spot in the order with a two-out shot over the head of Fredonia center fielder Micah Davis. Two runners came in to score the first two runs of the game. Karin followed by driving in Zentz as he gently guided a single to shallow center field to grow the Dunkirk lead to 3-0.

“Zach is a terrific athlete. I don’t think anything is surprising at this point. We hung a pitch and he made us pay for it,” Fredonia head coach Tim Cowan said.

Fredonia’s Ashton Putney, pictured, drove in the only run of the game for the Hillbillies on Monday against Dunkirk. OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen

Zentz hit a home run from the No. 9 spot earlier this season against Allegany-Limestone, and his power showed up again on Monday, even in frigid conditions against a power pitcher in Fredonia’s Owen Rush.

With the way Zentz was in control, three runs would have been enough, but that didn’t stop the Marauders from adding some insurance later in the game. In the bottom of the fourth inning, a pair of wild pitches during the same at-bat allowed Paul Trippy III to dart home for Dunkirk’s fourth run of the game. Then, in the fifth inning, Jagoda made the call to bring Tom Shaffer off the bench to pinch hit with the bases loaded.

Like Zentz earlier in the game, Shaffer proved that Dunkirk’s lineup can provide some pop from any spot. Shaffer ripped a double just inside the bag down the third-base line to score a pair of runners to extend the Dunkirk lead to 6-0.

“He is a kid that puts the ball in play. He has quality at-bats. Every time he gets up, he gets at least five, six pitches an at-bat. I knew if he did that and put the ball in play, we’d at least get one,” Jagoda said. “You get a six-run lead, it’s a heck of a lot better than a four-run lead — especially with some of the guys in Fredonia’s lineup who can hit it out of here and tie a game.”

A few batters later, Karin also drilled a two-run double — his third hit of the game and Dunkirk’s third two-run double of the contest — to double the 4-0 lead coming into the inning to 8-0 exiting the frame.

“What can you say about Captain Karin? Three hits again today, the kid is just playing exceptional baseball right now. He’s in the dugout leading by example and everybody is following suit,” Jagoda said.

Fredonia’s lone tally came in the top of the sixth inning. The Hillbillies managed one run after the top of the order loaded the bases with no outs to begin the frame. Ashton Putney was credited with a run batted in as he grounded out to shortstop to plate Micah Davis. The seventh inning finished quickly, but loudly, as Brady Corbett made a diving catch on a line drive up the middle to end the game with an exclamation point.

“It was a high-quality game. We had no errors and we threw well. Give them credit, they hit the ball where we weren’t more often than we did. That was the difference today,” said Cowan. “To their credit, they executed a little bit better than we did at the plate.”

Zentz managed a final line of seven innings pitched, one run, five hits, no walks, one hit batter and five strikeouts. He finished at an even 100 pitches.

“We took a punch. I think we stood tall and kept charging, but look, you tip your cap. Zach threw a terrific game,” said Cowan.

Owen Rush took the loss for Fredonia, with 4ª innings pitched and eight runs allowed. Matt Cash finished the contest on the mound for the Hillbillies, with a groundout induced after allowing a double to Karin, followed by three straight strikeouts in the bottom of the sixth inning.

“I liked our resiliency. We only had one run to show for it, but I think it leads well into our game on Wednesday,” said Cowan.

Wednesday the teams will play at Fredonia High School at 5 p.m.

“That might be the best part of the schedule. If you drop the first one — this is the first time that we have — we don’t have to sit on it for three weeks. We’ve got a shot Wednesday and we can’t ask for more than that,” Cowan said.