The King’s Fork High School baseball team did not wilt on Monday under the pressure of its first-ever regional playoff game.

After narrowly defeating visiting Churchland High School 2-0 earlier in the season, the Bulldogs jumped out to a 4-0 lead over the host Truckers this time, setting the tone for an 8-1 regional quarterfinal victory.

“It’s a great feeling,” KF head coach Pat Stafford said. “Everything from here on out is just a culmination of everything we’ve worked on for the past two, three years.”

He said it was his team’s bats that made Monday’s meeting more lopsided than the last one against Churchland. Juniors Kalev Henry and Duke Santora helped get things started in the first inning with some key doubles, contributing to the Bulldogs’ 10 hits.

For the game, freshman Tim Gromkoski went 2-for-3, with two runs batted in and two stolen bases. Freshman Blake Sargent also went 2-for-3, with a double and an RBI, while junior Cal Bailey went 2-for-4, with a double and an RBI.

King’s Fork’s outfielders, Henry, Santora and freshman Tristen DeGuzman, were clutch, generating 12 outs during the game.

Senior Truman Boyd (4-1) got the win on the mound after pitching the first three innings.

The Bulldogs (14-8) visit Grafton High School today at 4:30 p.m.