Sports stats



FL New England Knockouts

Jack-Thomas Wold Belts Three Home Runs in Two Games; Knockouts Secure Series

August 24, 2024 - Frontier League (FL)
New England Knockouts News Release


BROCKTON, MA.- New England scored a five-run fifth inning that led to a 10-3 victory over Sussex County on Saturday night at Campanelli Stadium. The Knockouts boasted their record to 35-52, while the Miners dropped to 30-59.

Jerod Edmondson discussed the infectious nature of the team's hitting, as the Knockouts registered an impressive total of twenty-five hits during yesterday's doubleheader. "Hitting is definitely contagious. Especially if a guy hits a home run, and all of a sudden, everyone's feeling alright...and sometimes when a guy is on base, it's a little easier for guys to lock-in and stay with their approach too. When you are getting a couple of hits, and give more chances for RBIs, we are able to do a good job this year..."

In the lead-up to the game, John Cristino has been on fire, knocking four home runs out of the park in the last five games. "I feel good at the plate. Like I always said. [I'm] just sticking to my plan and my approach and my routine. If I stick to tha, I'll hopefully find success in it."

New England's starting pitcher, Sam Ryan, secured the win, advancing his season record to 3-1. He demonstrated remarkable skill by pitching for 6.1 innings, during which he allowed seven hits and three runs, two of which were earned. Additionally, he walked two batters and achieved three strikeouts.

However, Sussex County's Jimmy Boyce faced defeat, bringing his season record to 2-6. Boyce struggled, pitching seven hits and allowing six runs, all of which were earned. He also issued two walks and secured two strikeouts.

The Miners struck first as they took the lead with a well-executed play. Hunter D'Amato's solid hit to center field allowed him to reach first base. Next, Gehrig Ebel hit a ground ball to Luis Atiles at third, advancing D'Amato to second. A passed ball then allowed D'Amato to progress to third base. Following this, Evan Sleight hit into a fielder's choice, scoring D'Amato and granting Sussex County a 1-0 lead. Despite two runners on base and two outs, an intense moment unfolded when Cory Acton walked to load the bases. However, the tension peaked when Oraj Anu struck out swinging, followed by Jordan Smith's flyout to Tommy Kretzler, bringing the top of the inning to a close.

Tony Gomez hit a solid line drive to the right side, recording his eleventh double of the season in the second. Following that, Gavin Stupienski smacked a sharp single to left field, allowing the Miners to have runners on the corners. Alec Sayre then connected with a well-placed single to center field, driving in a run and extending their lead to 2-0. D'Amato managed to keep the momentum going by singling to load the bases. With one out on the board, Sleight lifted a sacrifice fly to Kretzler in the outfield, allowing Stupienski to tag up and score, bringing the lead to 3-0.

Jalen Garcia, in the third inning, led off by hitting a line drive that zipped down the line at third base, resulting in a stand-up double for Garcia. This marked his eighth double of the season. Atiles then advanced Garcia to third when he hit a high fly ball to center field, caught by the skilled Smith. J.R. DiSarcina followed suit and hit another fly ball straight to Smith, cutting the Miners deficit within two with the score 3-1. Next up, Austin White added another thrilling moment to the game by hitting a double to centerfield, marking his fifteenth double of the season. Meanwhile, Keagan Calero walked while White executed a daring play and stole his fifty-fifth base of the season which led the frontier lead leaguing. However, Wold hit a sharp liner to Smith at centerfield, signaling the end of the inning.

The Knockouts put on a stunning performance in the fifth inning, scoring five runs on five hits. The bases were loaded with nobody out when White smashed his second double of the game, marking his sixteenth double of the season. His extra base hit down the right field line brought home two runs, leveling the score at three apiece.

After the game, White elaborated on his two run double. "Yeah, I just saw and took advantage of the situation and I knew the infield was in. I just hit something hard down the line, somewhere to drive home a run or two and I succeeded with that."

Calero then stepped up and singled to left field, securing an RBI. Wold grounded out to second, increasing the lead to 5-3. With two outs, Calero displayed his speed and agility by stealing third base, marking his twelfth stolen base of the season. Jake Boone then sealed the inning with a single to center field for an RBI, propelling the Knockouts to a 6-3 lead against the Miners.

With one out in the sixth inning, DiSarcina drilled a deep fly ball to center field that nearly cleared the fence. The ball ricocheted off the wall as Sleight attempted to make the play. Notably, this was DiSarcina's second triple of the season. With the infield drawn in, White smacked a sharp ground ball that eluded the diving Cory Acton at second base, finding its way into right field. White then demonstrated his speed by stealing second base for the second time in the game and adding to his stolen base total to fifty-six in the season. With two outs, Wold launched a towering shot over the fence for a two-run homer, marking his twelfth home run of the season and his third in the last two games. This blast extended their lead to 9-3.

After the game, the skipper talked about Wold's two-run home run. "Jack has been awesome and grinding really hard. He gets after it everyday to get better all the time. When guys like that are having success you feel really good for him."

Boone led-off the seventh inning with a leadoff double, marking his second double in the game and his twenty-first of the season. Kretzler flew out to center field as Boone moved over to third, and Garcia came to the plate with the infield in. Garcia struck out, allowing Boone to come around and score on a wild pitch, making it a 10-3 ballgame.

White stood out for New England with an impressive three hits. Both Boone and Garcia also delivered strong performances with multiple hits each, while four other players on the Knockouts contributed with one hit each. On the Sussex County side, D'Amato and Stupienski showcased their skills with multiple hits each, and four other Miners players also recorded hits during the game.

The Knockouts return to Campanelli Stadium tomorrow afternoon, hosting the Sussex County Miners in the final game of the four-game weekend. It is also Fan Appreciation Day at Campanelli Stadium! Don't miss the team's largest raffle of the year, kids run the bases, and a full-team autograph session after the game. Tickets for the final home game of the season 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 August 24, 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