Two senior pitchers hooked up on Monday evening at Claude Holsclaw Field and each was effective in his own way.

Unaka pushed a run across in the third inning and the Rangers made it hold up behind the two-hit pitching of John ‘Boy’ Ramsey.

The Knights sent righthander Ben Jones to the hill and he was stellar giving up just one run on two hits while striking out five and walking one.

Providence manager Jeff Reed said of his effort, “Jones pitched really well. It was his best game. I think he walked one and had them off balance. Those guys have a couple of kids who can really slug, but I feel we played our best game.”

The Rangers (12-10 overall) got to Jones in the third frame as Nolan Bradley led off with an infield single. Daniel Shearl’s sacrifice bunt moved him to second and with two outs Reid Taylor singled Bradley home for the only run of the game.

Ramsey carried a no-hitter into the fourth inning when Caleb Zepada singled on a one-out roller to short that he beat out.

Ramsey then retired Hunter Reed on a fly ball and struck out Jackson Tumlin to end the inning and the threat.

Ramsey struck out 10 and was laboring in the seventh when he plunked Tumlin with two outs and gave up a clean single to Mabry Runnels before striking out Sam Collie to end the game.

Afterward, Ramsey said, “I’m hurting right now. I think it’s just tendinitis and I just have to battle through it. I was feeling it before the game but there was nothing I could do about it, just pitch through it.”

From the last of the fourth until the top of the seventh each pitcher hurled one-two-three innings with the defenses of both teams playing well.

“I felt good tonight really and I had a great defense behind me,” Jones said. “My curveball was working and I was able to work the corners. My outfield defense, in particular, played really well, they tracked everything hit out there.”

Unaka 1-0

Providence   000 000 0 – 0 2 1

Unaka           001 000 x – 1 2 2

W – Ramsey L – Jones