Control is the key to successful pitching, and Friday’s matchup between West Seattle and Rainier Beach offered dramatic proof of that baseball axiom.

Wildcats hurler pitcher Jamie Maples struck out 11 batters, and West Seattle mercy-ruled the Vikings 12-0 after five innings.

Rainier Beach starter Arius Willis just could not find the plate, walking three and hitting a batter in just the second inning, when the Wildcats sent 11 to up to bat. Willis didn’t have much support from his outfield, either, as pop fly after pop fly dropped in front of left fielder Thertis Wade.

Maples turned in a masterful performance, handcuffing the Vikings with a combination of speed and precision control.

“It was good to see Jamie pitch so well. He was throwing strikes. If you throw strikes against these guys, you can make it an easy day, and that’s what he did,” West Seattle head coach Velko Vitalich said.

Rainier Beach managed to get runners to third in the second and fourth innings, but never could get a complete trip around the diamond on the board.

“Rainier Beach has always been kind of a new and young team, but we have no reason to take anybody for granted. We have a lot of kids who are injured or out for other reasons — like not enough practices — so we’re playing a lot of young guys, too,” Vitalich said.

Despite the easy win, the Wildcats need to improve in a hurry, he said.

“We need better approaches at the plate, and we need to be more ready in the field,” Vitalich said. “We’re not quite as experienced as we’ve been in the past. But the kids are working just as hard. We’re going to get better, and we’re going to have a good season.”