
New England Falls in 10-Inning Heartbreaker
June 23, 2024 - Frontier League (FL)
New England Knockouts News Release
Pomona, N.Y. - Joe DeLuca delivered the game-winning hit as New York defeated New England 4-3 in the 10th inning on Saturday night at Clover Stadium. The Boulders improved their record to 26-11, while the Knockouts dropped to 11-26.
Both starting pitchers for New York and New England recorded a no-decision in the game. New York's starting pitcher, Mitchell Senger, pitched for six innings, allowing four hits and two earned runs while also striking out seven batters. Dylan Smith, from New York, picked up his fourth win of the season (4-0). He allowed a walk and struck out all three batters he faced. On the other side, New England's starting pitcher, Casey Bargo, pitched for five innings, giving up two hits, and a run, and walking five batters. However, Reeves Martin, also from New England, recorded his second loss of the season (3-2) after pitching three innings, allowing five hits, two runs (one earned), walking a batter, and striking out three batters.
Senger swiftly retired six out of seven batters in the early part of the night, while Bargo managed to retire eight of the first 11 batters.
Both teams remained scoreless through the first two innings. It wasn't until the third inning, with one out, that Keagan Calero ignited the action by hitting a double to right field and then advancing to third on a passed ball. The tension heightened as Austin White stepped up and delivered a RBI single to right field, propelling New England to a 1-0 lead. The momentum continued in the fourth inning as the Knockouts pushed further ahead. Tommy Kretzler's double to left field put the team in a commanding position, and Brady West's sharp single to first base loaded the bases. Ramon Jimenez capitalized on the opportunity, reaching base on a fielder's choice and extending the Knockouts' lead to 2-0.
New York narrowed New England's lead to just one run in the fourth. The momentum shifted when Austin Dennis hit a double to center field and then successfully stole third base. Chris Kwitzer then grounded out to first, bringing Dennis home and giving the Knockouts a 2-1 lead.
In the sixth inning, the Boulders managed to tie the game at two runs each. The action started with Kwitzer getting hit by a pitch, then two batters later, Casey Dana walked, putting two runners on base with two outs. The crucial moment came when Joe DeLuca stepped up and delivered an RBI single to bring in a run.
The Knockouts gained the lead in the eighth inning when J.R. DiSarcina hit a single to right field. Shortly after, John Cristino walked, putting two runners on base with two outs. The momentum continued for New England as Kretzler reached first base due to a fielding error by the shortstop Dennis, allowing New England to take a 3-2 lead.
DeLuca hit a double down the left field line, allowing Isaac Bellony to fly out to center field as DeLuca tagged up and advanced to third base. Later on, with New York down to their final out, Gotta connected on an RBI single to tie the game at three runs each. The Boulders had two runners on base when Kwitzer struck out swinging to end the inning.
In the 10th inning, the Knockouts had a runner placed on second base due to the ghost runner rule. Despite having two runners on base and only one out, New England couldn't capitalize on the opportunity. Both Jake Boone and Cristino struck out swinging, squandering the scoring opportunity.
In the bottom half of the inning, the Boulders capitalized on the ghost runner as Isaacson and Dana reached base. DeLuca came through with a game-winning RBI single to right field.
New England had hits from five different players, while Dennis and Dana had at least two hits for New York. DeLuca stood out for New York with his three hits in the game.
The Knockouts continue their road trip tomorrow, playing in the final game of their set with the Boulders. They are back at Campanelli Stadium next Friday, hosting Trois-Rivieres in a weekend matinee. Tickets for the weekend can be found at https://tickets.knockoutsbaseball.com/.
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