Sports stats



FL New England Knockouts

Matt Cronin Pitches Quality Start; Knockouts Shutout in Series Finale

August 22, 2024 - Frontier League (FL)
New England Knockouts News Release


BROCKTON, MA. - Mitchell Senger pitched a complete game shutout to give New York a 6-0 victory over New England on Thursday night at Campanelli Stadium. The Boulders improved their record to 46-41, while the Knockouts dropped to 32-52.

In his pre-game remarks, Jerod Edmondson emphasized the importance of winning two out of three games against the Boulders. "I mean it's kind of the same thing. Hopefully Cronin is going to give us a good start, and then we need to pitch well to execute - keeping them off balance, but we have to hit you. [We have] got to hit. If you don't score against these guys, it is going to be really hard to beat them. [They] are not playing a lot of 1-0 games from what I see. There is a lot of scoring going on. So, we just have to be dedicated to what we've been doing and if we are behind we keep battling and if we are ahead, we are going to try to separate and just play good baseball."

In a thrilling game last night, Jalen Garcia recounted his pivotal game-tying hit in the eighth inning, to even up the score at seven runs apiece. "Yeah, I think a passed ball advanced him and I knew...they had a guy throwing pretty hard, so I just tried to time something up and got one through the hole."

On Thursday night, New York starting pitcher Senger secured the win, improving his season record to 9-4. Senger put on an impressive performance, pitching a complete game shutout. He allowed six hits, and struck out five. New England's starting pitcher, Matt Cronin, endured a long but quality night, taking the loss and dropping to 4-8 on the season. Cronin pitched for six innings and allowed six hits, three runs, three earned runs, walking two batters, and striking out five.

In the opening innings of the game, both Cronin and Senger engaged in a riveting pitching battle, effectively holding both teams in check. However, the dynamic shifted in the third inning when, with two outs on the board, Austin White delivered a crucial single. Subsequently, Keagan Calero reached first base due to an error committed by Boulders' first baseman, Ryan McCoy, allowing Calero to advance to second and White to third. The tension escalated as two runners now stood in scoring position. Jack-Thomas Wold then grounded out to the second baseman, Nick Gotta, who made the play for the third and final out of the inning.

In the top of the fourth inning, New York made an impressive offensive display. It all started when Austin Dennis hit a base hit to right field. With two outs, Dennis showed his speed and skill by stealing second base, marking his thirty-third stolen base of the season. The tension built up as Christian Ficca walked, putting two Boulders on base with two outs. Chris Kwitzer stepped up to the plate and delivered an RBI base hit to center field, giving New York a 1-0 lead. New York didn't stop there as David Vinsky followed up with a double off the left field wall, bringing in two more runs for the Boulders and extending their lead to 3-0. For Vinsky it was his fourteen double of the season. The inning reached its climax when Joe DeLuca flied out to Tommy Kretzler, ending the offensive onslaught.

The Boulders posed a significant threat in the fifth as they had two runners in scoring position with just one out. Steve Barmakian reached base on a fielder's choice, resulting in Dennis being called out as Wold threw the ball to John Cristino at home plate. While attempting to score, Dennis retreated to third base, prompting Cristino to throw the ball to Noah Lucier at third, securing the second out. The inning ended when Thomas Walraven hit a fly ball to Wold, who caught it for the third out.

In the top of the seventh, the Boulders extended their lead by scoring another run. It all started when Joe DeLuca reached first base due to an error by the first baseman Wold. With one out, DeLuca then stole second base, marking his sixth stolen base of the season. Dennis followed with a well-placed single to left field, bringing DeLuca home and increasing New York's lead to 4-0. Not stopping there, Dennis stole second base, making it his second stolen base of the game and his thirty-fourth of the season. Barmakian then grounded out to Lucier at third, bringing an end to the inning.

The Boulders found themselves in a promising position with runners on first and second and nobody out in the eighth. Tension mounted as both runners skillfully advanced into scoring position due to a wild pitch. The excitement in the air was palpable as Kwitzer and Vinsky stepped up to-bat, but both of them struck out swinging. DeLuca then grounded out to J.R. DiSarcina, bringing the inning to a close.

McCoy hit a base hit to center field in the ninth. However, things took a turn when White made an error, allowing McCoy to advance to second base. Gotta then executed a successful bunt, advancing McCoy to third base. As the tension rose, McCoy took advantage of a wild pitch and dashed home, adding an insurance run for New York, and increasing their lead to 5-0. The rally continued as Dennis connected with a single to left field, advancing to second on a ground out. Walraven then stepped up and delivered a base hit to left field, bringing the score to 6-0. Finally, Ficca grounded out to first, ending the inning.

For New York, Dennis led the Boulders with a four-hit game, Ficca had a two-hit game, and five different Boulders recorded a hit in the team's victory. For New England, the duo of White and Jake Boone each had a two hit game, while the duo of Wold and DiSarcina had one hit apiece.

The Knockouts return to Campanelli Stadium tomorrow afternoon, hosting the Sussex County Miners in a Friday double-header. Game one will be a continuation from Sunday's postponed contest, beginning in the bottom of the second and a 5-0 Knockouts lead. Game two will promptly begin 30 minutes following the first. Tickets for the remainder 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 22, 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