Cristino's Multi-Hit Game Falls Short, Knockouts Drop Middle Bill

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New England Knockouts

Cristino's Multi-Hit Game Falls Short, Knockouts Drop Middle Bill

August 29, 2024 - Frontier League (FL)
New England Knockouts News Release


QUEBEC, CAN.- Adbiel Saldana pitched six shutout innings and Justin Gideon went 2 for 3 and three RBIs to give Quebec a 6-2 victory over New England on Wednesday night at Stade Canac. Les Capitales improved to 63-29, while the Knockouts slipped to 36-54.

Quebec's starting pitcher, Saldana, delivered a remarkable performance, improving his season record to an impressive 10-2. He pitched six dominant shutout innings, allowing only four hits while walking two batters and striking out ten batters. New England's starting pitcher, Matt Cronin, had a tough outing and ended up with the loss, dropping his season record to 4-10. However, he did have a strong stat line, pitching six innings and allowing only five hits, three runs which two of them being earned. He also struggled with control, walking five batters while managing to strike out three.

Les Capitales struck first in the second when Anthony Quirion was hit by a pitch and Jake MacKenzie reached base on a fielder's choice and then stole second, marking his forty-fifth stolen base of the year. This put Quebec with a runner in scoring position, and Jonathan Lacroix capitalized on this opportunity by singling to right field, bringing in a run to give Quebec a 1-0 lead. The momentum continued as Jeremy Rivera singled to the shortstop, having two runners on for Les Capitales. However, their offensive surge was halted when Marc-Antoine Lebreux grounded out to first baseman Jack-Thomas Wold, ending the inning.

In the top of the third inning, Les Capitales struck again. Tommy Seidl walked and then stole second, marking his forty-first stolen base of the year. With two outs, Seidle advanced to third after an error by New England starting pitcher Cronin. Ruben Castro then delivered a clutch single up the middle, extending Quebec's lead to 2-0. The momentum continued as Quirion was hit by a pitch and MacKenzie walked. However, the inning came to an end as Lacroix grounded out to the first baseman Wold, who made the play to Cronin.

Rivera hit a single to left field in the fourth and then swiped second base, marking his first stolen base of the year. However, he advanced to third base on an error by John Cristino. With just one out, Gidon stepped up to the plate and delivered a solid single through right field, extending Les Capitales' lead to 3-0. This marked the third consecutive inning in which Les Capitales had scored, with runs coming in the second, third, and fourth innings. The fourth inning came to an end when Seidl grounded into a double play.

New England struggled to get their offense going despite only mustering three hits in the first 5.1 innings. The Knockouts finally notched their first extra-base hit of the game when Cristino smashed a double to right field, marking his nineteenth double of the season. However, the momentum was short-lived as Jake Boone popped up to the catcher, Anthony Quirion, and Tommy Kretzler struck out swinging, squandering the opportunity to put runs on the board.

Nick Hassan walked in the seventh. With one out, J.R. DiSarcina hit a single to right center, putting New England in a strong position with runners in the corners. Their lead was extended to 3-1 as White reached base on a fielder's choice, allowing Les Capitales to score. The Quebec reliever, Franklin Parra, made an error, allowing White to advance to second and then to third. Keagan Calero and Wold both drew walks, loading the bases for the Knockouts. Unfortunately, the inning ended when Cristino hit a fly ball to the left fielder Seidl. Unfortunately, the Knockouts couldn't secure a significant hit, impacting their performance in the inning.

In the bottom half of the seventh inning, Lebreux hit an extra base hit to left center field, resulting in his twelfth double of the season. He then advanced to third base on a wild pitch. Gideon followed with a sacrifice fly to left field, allowing Lebreux to score as Quebec extended their lead to 4-1. Seidl and Garcia both hit singles, putting Les Capitales in a promising position with runners on the corners. Castro then singled through the left side, bringing in another run for Quebec. With the bases loaded, MacKenzie reached on a fielder's choice, but Garcia was tagged out at home by Boone's throw to Cristino. Lacroix struck out swinging, ending the inning.

Boone hit a single through the left side of the field. He then showcased his speed and base-running skills by stealing second and third base, marking his 24th and 25th stolen bases of the season in the eighth inning. Boone's aggressive base running paid off as he managed to score when Nick Hassan grounded out to the second baseman, Gideon, for the second out of the inning. Unfortunately, Noah Lucier struck out looking to end the top of the inning.

Les Capitales scored an additional run in the bottom of the eighth when Gideon smashed his nineteenth home run of the season to seal the deal for the victory.

Cristino stood out for New England with his two-hit performance, while four other players ended up with a hit in the loss. On the Quebec side, the trio of Castro, Gideon, and Rivera each had a multi-hit game, and five players from Les Capitales managed to record a hit each.

The Knockouts are officially done with the 2024 home schedule. They go on the road for the final six games, playing Quebec for three, and finishing the season with the New York Boulders.

Check out the New England Knockouts Statistics

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