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FL New England Knockouts

Knockouts Walk-off Boulders in Middle Bill; Jack-Thomas Wold Leads the Charge

August 21, 2024 - Frontier League (FL)
New England Knockouts News Release


BROCKTON, MA.- Jack-Thomas Wold went 3 for 5 including a game winning hit as New England defeated New York 8-7 on Wednesday night at Campanelli Stadium. The Knockouts boosted their record to 32-51, while the Boulders dropped to 45-41.

Prior to the game, Jerod Edmondson discussed Blaine Traxel, who is set to be the starting pitcher for the Boulders. "He's got good stuff. He is a little bit funky - changes his arm angles a lot with different pitches and from different spots. He can throw them all for strikes. Today is that day that, offensively, you got to be really disciplined. You've got to have an approach and stick to it. [You can't] get outside of what you're trying to do because of all of the different stuff that he is doing. I think the last time we did a really good job with that and hopefully we will be able to do that again."

Before the game, J.R. DiSarcina discussed his impressive performance, mentioning that he had gone 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI. "Yeah I was pretty locked in. I was trying to get pitches in the zone and I was being patient and waiting to get one. That first at-bat with a double, I happened to get one on that 3-2 count and drive it the other way."

Anderson Comas pitched for New England and had a no decision, pitching 3.1 innings. He allowed five runs, three of which were earned, and walked six batters while striking out three. Reeves Martin came in to pitch the ninth inning in relief and secured the win, improving his record to 6-2 for the season. New York's starting pitcher, Blaine Traxel, also ended with a no decision after pitching 7.1 innings. He allowed nine hits, six runs (all earned), and walked one batter while striking out six. Dylan Smith took the loss for New York, dropping to 6-2, after pitching 0.1 inning. He allowed a hit, one run (earned), and walked two batters.

At the start of the game, Comas had a bit of a rocky start, walking the first three batters to load the bases. Thomas Walraven then struck out, followed by a sacrifice fly from Christian Ficca, which was caught by a diving Noah Lucier in right field. It was an incredible catch, he caught the ball air-born robbing Ficca of what could have been extra bases, but Gotta managed to score from third base. After that, David Vinsky walked, loading the bases, and Chris Kwitzer grounded out to first baseman Jack-Thomas Wold.

In the second inning with one out, Ryan McCoy was hit by a pitch, and Nick Gotta singled up the middle, advancing the Boulders' runners to the corners. Subsequently, Austin Dennis brought home the team's second run, extending the lead to 2-0. The inning concluded as Steve Barmakian grounded out into an inning-ending double play.

In the bottom of the third inning, DiSarcina kicked off the action with a solid base hit and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. The Knockouts found themselves with a runner in scoring position at second base. The shortstop, Austin Dennis, made a throw to the third baseman, Thomas Walraven, but unfortunately, the ball got away from him. This allowed New England to have runners at both corners as White executed his fifty-second stolen base of the season, the highest in the Frontier League. Luis Atiles then hit a sacrifice fly to right field, bringing home DiSarcina and bringing the score to 2-1. Wold followed up with a powerful hit to left field, scoring a double and tying the game at 2-2. This double marked Wold's twelfth of the season. John Cristino then singled to right field, putting runners at the corners for New England. After Tommy Kretzler walked, Jalen Garcia singled to left field, bringing in two more runs for the Knockouts, giving them a 4-2 lead. Lucier then drove in another run with a single to center field, capping off a five-run third inning for the Knockouts.

After the game Jerod Edmondson spoke about the five-run third inning. "We've shown a few times this year that we would do that. We get some strings together and put up some big numbers in some innings. It was one of those things that we got some pitches to hit, and guys are taking what they are giving, not swinging too big, taking their hits, and that was huge."

New York was in a promising position with two runners on base and only one out. Gotta then walked, loading the bases for the Boulders in the fourth. Dennis hit a single to Kretzler in left field, resulting in three runs scored. An error by the left fielder, Kretzler, allowed Dennis to advance to second base, and this allowed the third run to score, tying the game at five.

In the top of the seventh inning, Dennis showed great base-running skills, walking and then advancing to second base on a wild pitch. The tension rose as both Barmakian and Walraven walked, loading the bases for the opposing team. Hasell Baro was brought in to pitch in a high-pressure situation with the bases loaded and nobody out, prompting the infield to move in closer to home plate. Despite the challenging circumstances, Ficca managed to hit a ground ball for a double play, and Vinsky followed with a ground ball to DiSarcina at shortstop. The Knockouts skillfully defused the bases-loaded, nobody-out situation, escaping the jam unscathed.

Kwitzer hit a double to right field in the eighth, marking his nineteenth double of the season. The Boulders made a strategic move by sending Joe DeLuca as a pinch hitter, and he successfully walked to first base. With two runners on, McCoy was hit by a pitch, loading the bases for the second consecutive inning. This time, New York took advantage of the situation, as Gotta stepped up and delivered a crucial two-run single, propelling New York into a 7-5 lead.

In the bottom half of the inning, the Knockouts gained momentum against the Boulders when Cristino smashed a solo home run over the left-centerfield fence. The ball traveled for 461 feet, marking Cristino's eighteenth and longest home run of the season. Kretzler was hit by a pitch, and Garcia skillfully placed a hit between second and first, driving the ball to right field and tying the game at seven.

In the ninth inning, the Knockouts had the opportunity to win the game. DiSarcina reached base with a walk, and White executed a successful sacrifice bunt to advance the potential winning run to second base. Atiles also walked, resulting in two runners on base with just one out. Wold then came through with a game-winning hit, securing an 8-7 victory for the Knockouts over the Boulders.

After the game, Wold spoke about the walk-off hit. "[I was] just looking for something out of the dish that I could get extension on, and a couple good at bats before me against a pretty good arm. I wanted to stay locked in, have a good approach, and see what happened."

For New York, Gotta and Dennis had a multi-hit game, while Kwitzer had a single hit. For New England, Cristino and Wold each had a three-hit game, while Garcia had a multi-hit game. Th trio of Kretzler, Lucier and DiSarcina had a hit apiece.

After the game Jerod talked about Cristino and Wold combining for six hits in the victory. "Like I said the other day, when they didn't do too much and we had Boone and Kretzler pick them up - it's just about guys picking each other up. When your three and four guys get six combined hits and hit big spots every time, I mean you're going to win a lot of games when those guys are locked in."

The Knockouts return to Campanelli Stadium tomorrow evening, hosting the New York Boulders in the finale of the midweek series. Tickets for the remainder of the season can be found at https://tickets.knockoutsbaseball.com/.

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