Sports stats



FL New England Knockouts

Grizzlies Outslug Knockouts in 4th of July Showcase

July 5, 2024 - Frontier League (FL)
New England Knockouts News Release


SAUGET, IL- Gateway scored nine runs combined in the seventh and eighth for a come-from-behind 17-12 victory over New England on Independence Day on Thursday night at Grizzlies Ballpark. The Grizzlies improved to 26-21, while the Knockouts dropped to 13-34.

Both starting pitchers ended up with a no-decision. For Gateway Kaleb Hill pitched three innings and gave up eight earned runs on four hits while also issuing four walks and striking out one batter. Alec Whaley came in as a reliever and ended up with the win, improving his record to 2-1. He pitched one inning, only allowing one hit and striking out a batter.

New England's Ben Selier pitched 3.2 innings, gave up seven earned runs on four hits while walking five and striking out three batters. Kyle Petri came in as a reliever and got the loss, pitching 0.1 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on two hits and issuing two walks.

The Knockouts strike first with two outs in the first inning John Cristino hit his 10th home run of the season, giving New England a 1-0 lead.

Gateway's Abdiel Diaz and Gabe Holt both hit a base hit to kick off the first inning. Both players then executed a double steal, putting themselves in scoring position. D.J. Stewart grounded out, bringing Diaz home for a run. Peter Zimmermann followed up with a sacrifice fly to center field, allowing Holt to score. The momentum continued as David Maberry hit his first home run of the season, giving the Grizzlies a 3-1 lead as they headed into the second inning.

In response to Gateway taking the lead, New England promptly countered to tie the game at three in the second. With one out and two runners on base, Nolan Lucier reached on a fielder's choice, advancing Ramon Jimenez to second. Then, a fielding error by Zimmerman allowed Brady West to score and Jimenez to reach third. A few batters later, Austin White base hit tied the game, making it a 3-3 ball game.

In the bottom of the third inning, Gabe Holt was hit by a pitch, and then Stewart delivered a two-run home run for his 10th of the season, propelling the Grizzlies to a 5-3 lead. A few batters later, they added one more run when Kyle Gaedele hit his third home run of the season.

The Knockouts' offense came alive in a big way, putting up eight runs on six hits in the fourth inning. It all started with West leading off the inning with his fourth home run of the season. Things really heated up when New England loaded the bases, and White stepped up to deliver an RBI single, cutting Grizzlies lead 6-5. Then, the next batter, Jake Boone, cleared the bases with a three-run double. The momentum continued as Cristino hit his 11th home run of the season, making it a multi-home run game for him. The Knockouts had a four run lead with the score 10-6 when Jalen Garcia delivered a double, and with two outs, Jimenez came through with an RBI single, putting the Knockouts comfortably ahead at 11-6.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Jose Alvarez started things off by walking. He advanced to second base on a wild pitch, and then to third on another wild pitch. Shortly after, Tate Wargo brought him home with an RBI groundout.

Gateway started off strong, securing the first two outs. However, New England was able to notch another run on the scoreboard. This happened when White hit a double and Boone drove him home with an RBI single. Then, in the bottom of the inning, with just one out, David Maberry hit a single and then advanced to second base on a wild pitch. Seizing the opportunity, Victor Castillo delivered an RBI double, bringing Maberry home to cut the Knockout lead 12-8.

The Grizzlies made an impressive comeback against the Knockouts, who were leading 12-8 in the seventh. Gateway scored six runs on four hits, taking a two-run lead. After a balk by the New England reliever Petri, the score was 12-9. With the bases loaded, Diaz delivered a two-run single, cutting the lead to one. Later, Wargo connected with a two-run single to complete the comeback. The Grizzlies added one more run when Wargo scored on a wild pitch after advancing to third on a passed ball.

Castillo hit a single and then advanced to second base on a sacrifice play in the eighth inning. Alvarez then came through with a clutch RBI single, bringing the score to 15-12 in favor of Gateway. Diaz followed up with a double, putting two runners in scoring position. Wargo reached base on a fielder's choice, driving in another run. Later in the inning, Zimmerman added to the lead with an RBI single, making it 17-12 Grizzlies which was the final score as they took two out three from the Knockouts.

White was the standout performer for the Knockouts, with a fantastic four-hit game. Boone, Cristino, and West each contributed with a two hit game, and Garcia and Jimenez both chipped in with a hit each. On the Grizzlies side, Steward delivered an impressive three-hit game. Additionally, five players from Gateway had a multi-hit game, with Holt, Zimmermann, and Alvarez each adding one hit apiece.

The Knockouts continue their road trip tomorrow, playing in game one of their weekend series versus the Evansville Otters. They return to Campanelli Stadium on July 9th, beginning a six-game homestead against the Tri-City ValleyCats. Tickets for the week can be found at https://tickets.knockoutsbaseball.com/.

Check out the New England Knockouts Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Frontier League message board...

Frontier League Stories from July 5, 2024


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central