At first glance, it appeared to be a routine baseball play. The crack of the bat and then the ball arched high into the clear, blue April sky.

But with the gusty wind blowing hard down from the north across the American Fork baseball field Tuesday afternoon, the routine became game-changing.

Twice in the crucial third inning, visiting Lone Peak hit towering fly balls where the wind changed the trajectory and the Cavemen fielders could not track them down.

Those two plays helped the Knights score four runs in the frame on their way to a big 6-4 victory over American Fork in Region 4 play.

“Capitalizing on breaks is everything in this game,” said Lone Peak head coach Jason Turley. “In every game, you are going to get a couple of those. Whether you capitalize or the other team capitalizes on you is huge.”

The Knights had a slim 1-0 lead heading into their at bat in the top of the third. Lone Peak second baseman Tanner Smith led off with a high flyball to centerfield.

The wind, however, blew it back into right-center and the two Cavemen outfielders collided trying to make a play, allowing Smith to make it safely to third base.

After an RBI single by Knight right fielder Hunter Trowbridge and a throwing error on a bunt, Lone Peak shortstop Hunter Christensen sent another skyrocket into the wind and again the movement on the ball eluded the American Fork fielder trying to haul it in.

“The lack of communication was a breakdown for our defense,” said Caveman head coach Jared Ingersol. “We haven’t been doing a very good job of communicating.”

The visitors used RBI singles by catcher Sterling Larsen and centerfielder Casey Lundquist to tally the four runs and take control.

With a 5-0 advantage, Knight pitcher Braxton Barnes stood tall even as American Fork tried to rally.

“I can’t say enough about Braxton and the gamer he is,” Turley said. “Mentally he focuses and stays in the game, even when the pressure is on. We threw him in the first game of the series because we wanted to set the tone.”

The talented Cavemen still got 15 hits. They just couldn’t come through consistently with runners on base, stranding at least one every inning and 13 total during the course of the game.

“We got big hits in a couple of situations but we just couldn’t get one more to fall for us,” Ingersol said.

It almost happened for American Fork in the bottom of the sixth. After tallying three runs in the bottom of the fourth to narrow the gap, the Cavemen got an RBI single from junior right fielder Koy Dibb to make the score 5-4.

Dibb made it to third for American Fork and ended up crossing the plate with what would’ve been the tying run, except Lone Peak barely got the force-out at first on a grounder to end the inning.

Barnes then helped his own cause by driving in an insurance run in the top of the sixth and although the Cavemen would get four more runners on base, that would end the scoring.

Turley also lauded the hitting of Larsen, saying he came through with some big at-bats for the Knights.

“I really like the momentum we have right now and the position we are in,” Turley said. “Ithought we came in with intensity, intensity that has been building throughout the year. They are confident in themselves and in each other, which is huge for them.”

In the other dugout, Ingersol wants to see more consistency from his squad.

“We need to be consistent from the first inning through the seventh,” he said. “We also need to play defense. In the last couple of years, our defense was something we could hang our hats on even when the sticks weren’t going.”

The two teams will play the second game of the three-game series at Lone Peak Wednesday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.