POLAND – When your sophomore pitcher doesn’t deal more pitches in any one inning than the number of candles on his next birthday cake, your young baseball team is in good hands.

Matt Brewster of Poland Regional High School yielded only two hits and picked up both his first varsity victory and complete game Wednesday, an 8-1 rout of neighboring Lake Region.

Brewster allowed a two-out RBI triple by Brandon Chase in the first inning and a harmless, one-out double to Danny Place in the fourth. He walked only one, reaching a three-ball count three times all afternoon. His sixth strikeout provided the exclamation point in the seventh.

“That was my first. It’s kind of special for me,” said Brewster, whose 16 offerings in the seventh inning were the most in his 84-pitch masterpiece. “I really have to give it to the defense. They’re the ones who made plays for me.”

Poland (6-4) erased Brewster’s early deficit with aggressive baserunning. Senior catcher Jackie MacVane christened the bottom of the first with a single, scooted to second on a passed ball and achieved the rarity of scoring all the way from there on a groundout to shortstop.

Two walks, two throwing errors and an RBI single by MacVane plated three runs in the second. The Knights tacked on four more in the fourth.

One year after reaching the Western Class B championship game with a senior-laden team, resurgent Poland has won three straight to claw back into the playoff race.

“I think it was more of an adjustment thing, and a lot of young guys getting used to this level,” MacVane said. “These younger guys, once they see that their skills are working up here, their confidence goes through the roof.”

MacVane and Casey Ray each notched two of Poland’s nine hits.

A three-year starter behind the plate, MacVane also provided a calming influence for Brewster, who retired eight in a row and 11 of the final 12 batters he faced after Place’s double for the Lakers (5-5).

“They jumped on a lot of pitches, but he hit his spots and forced a lot of good groundballs,” MacVane said of his battery mate.

Trey Ouellette triggered Poland’s rally in the fourth with a leadoff single, followed by Zach Short’s textbook bunt single. Nick Douglass later drew a bases-loaded walk. Ben Piper poked a two-run single.

Ouellette reached base in all three plate appearances and scored twice for the Knights, who took advantage of four errors. That’s a happy role reversal for a club that lost two early games by the mercy rule and gave up 10 unearned runs in another defeat.

“That was probably our most complete effort that we’ve had,” said Poland coach Dave Jordan. “We’re getting on a nice little roll.”