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FL New England Knockouts

Calero, Atiles Lead Knockouts to Saturday Victory

July 27, 2024 - Frontier League (FL)
New England Knockouts News Release


BROCKTON, MA. - A three run sixth inning propelled New England for a 7-2 victory on Saturday night at Campanelli Stadium. The Knockouts boosted their record to 22-41 while the Jackals dropped to 21-42.

Prior to the game Jerod Edmondson spoke about J.R. DiSarcina 's recent struggles, as he is hitting 1 for his last 23 and 13 strikeouts. "I mean he is working on it. He puts in [the] work everyday. J.R. is like a machine you know he gets his work in and routine and everything he is just struggling a little bit right know and that's part of it he is so elite defensively usually is hard to take him out of the lineup just hoping he is going to find a day if he doesn't just give him a day off and a time to rest but he is a professional he has been playing for a while he is got to find something that works for him."

New England starting pitcher, Michael Quigley, put together a solid performance as he pitched a no-decision by pitching three scoreless innings, although he did allow three walks. Later on, relief pitcher Kyle Petri secured the first win of the season for his team, improving his record to 1-1.

After the game the skipper talked about Quigley's outing. "Yeah, he was really good like I said before the game he has really electric stuff. Just him being comfortable with an approach to attack this guy and being able to execute his pitches he did a really good job on that."

During his two innings on the mound, Petri allowed three hits, two earned runs, two walks, and struck out two batters. New Jersey's starting pitcher Danny Vasquez endured a tough outing, as he suffered his second loss of the season, dropping to 0-2. Vasquez pitched five innings, giving up six hits and three earned runs while issuing five walks and striking out three batters.

During the top of the first inning, with one out, Luis Atiles threw the ball to first baseman Brady West as Fritz Genther reached on an infield single. However, West left the game with an apparent injury. West was replaced by Ramon Jimenez.

Keagan Calero hit a base hit to the opposite field in the first sending the ball towards the right field. He then showcased his speed and agility by stealing second and third base, marking his seventh stolen base of the year. However, the inning came to an end when Tommy Kretzler grounded out to third base, where Ryan Ford made the play.

Jordan Scott fouled out in the top of the second to the third baseman Atiles, who made an incredible diving catch in the railing as he fell off.

After the game Atiles talked about the play. "Honestly like I said before, I take pride in my defense. If I can't help my team with my offense at the moment, it's my job to go out there and to give it all I can on defense. Sacrifice my body and show to my teammates that I am there to help them out no matter what."

Following this, Ford walked, and with two outs, Xavier Valentin singled to center field and then stole second base. Trent Taylor then walked, but the rally came to an end as Arbert Cipion flew out to Austin White on the warning track for the final out of the inning.

In the bottom of the second inning, the Knockouts made an impact by scoring two runs with just three hits. Their play started with Victor Castillo walking and then stealing second base, marking his seventh stolen base of the year. The momentum continued with Jake Boone's single to right field, putting New England in a promising position with runners in scoring position. Jimenez followed with a single to left field and advanced to second base on the throw, allowing Castillo to score. However, Boone was thrown out at the plate. Atiles then delivered an RBI base hit with a single to left field, extending New England's lead to 2-0.

Atiles spoke about his base hit that drove home the second run of the game. "Honestly, I've just been attacking with the fastball. Obviously I feel with hitting we make it a little harder than it should be because we are expecting something else but if you stick with your approach and what we do in the [batting] cages and your daily routine obviously it will set you off for success and being able to be on time on that fastball was huge to help the team with the lead."

The action didn't stop there, as Atiles stole second base, his fifth stolen base of the season. The tension continued to build as White walked with two runners on and two outs, and then a scary moment occurred when Keegan Calero was hit in the helmet. Fortunately, they managed to end the inning with John Cristino striking out swinging.

In the fourth inning, with two Jackals runners in scoring position, Cipion swung and missed for a strikeout, and Paller was caught looking at a called third strike, ending the scoring opportunity for New Jersey.

Atiles walked and DiSarcina hit a single to center field, putting the Knockouts in a strong position with runners on the corners. Prior to that hit, DiSarcina had only managed one hit in his last 24 at-bats. He then succeeded in stealing second base. White hit a fly ball out to Taylor, allowing Atiles to score from third base while DiSarcina advanced to third. Unfortunately, both Calero and Cristino grounded out to the third baseman, bringing the inning to a close.

Scott hit a two-run home run towards left field, traveling 425 feet, as the Jackals cut the lead to one in the fifth

The Knockouts had a promising start in the sixth as they managed to get two runners on base with no one out. White hit a ground ball to first baseman Frank Nigro, allowing both runners to advance to scoring position. Then, Calero stepped up to the plate with the infield pulled in and delivered a crucial two-run base hit, increasing their lead to 5-2. Calero then proceeded to steal second base and advanced to third. Finally, on a close play, Calero managed to make it home, extending the Knockouts' lead to 6-2.

With runners on first and third and just one out, Atiles hit a ground ball and reached first base, allowing Castillo to score from third. Atiles then stole second base, marking his seventh stolen base of the season.

Boone was the standout player for New England with three hits in the game, while Calero also had a multi-hit game. Jimenez, Atiles, and DiSarcina each contributed with a hit as well. On the other side, Scott led New Jersey with a two-hit performance, and five different Jackals players also recorded hits.

New England returns to Campanelli Stadium tomorrow afternoon, hosting the Jackals in the finale of their weekend series. Tickets for the rest of the weekend can be found at https://tickets.knockoutsbaseball.com/.

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