IL1 Charlotte Knights

Noesi Dominates First Place Tides, Knights Win 3-1

August 31, 2015 - International League (IL1)
Charlotte Knights News Release


(NORFOLK, VA) - Hector Noesi took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, Dayan Viciedo and Kevan Smith provided the offensive punch, and the Charlotte Knights beat the first place Norfolk Tides by a score of 3-1 in the opening game of their two-game series from Harbor Park on Monday. With the win, the Knights gained a full game in the standings, pulling to 3.5 games back of the Tides with seven games left to play during the 2015 regular season.

Inning after inning, Noesi (3-4, 3.51) befuddled the division-leading Tides. The 6'3" Dominican native allowed just one walk over his first five innings. He struck-out five and didn't allow a hit over that span. He was dominant.

In the midst of working on a no-hitter, the 28-year-old right-hander possessed a 3-0 lead thanks to Viciedo and Smith, who each launched home runs. The two Charlotte sluggers both homered in the three-run fourth inning. Viciedo's solo home run, his sixth of the season with the Knights, came first. Three batters later, Smith ripped a two-run home run.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Tides finally figured out Noesi and touched him up for their first hit and run of the game. Both came on the same at-bat as Norfolk catcher Audry Perez broke-up the no-hitter with a leadoff home run, which put the Tides on the scoreboard, down 3-1. Still, that was all the Tides could muster on Monday.

Overall, Noesi allowed just one run on two hits over seven innings en route to his second consecutive victory. He walked one and struck-out seven batters in the opener on Monday. Reliever Junior Guerra allowed one hit over a scoreless eighth inning, while Zach Phillips notched his team-high 12th save with a scoreless ninth inning. Phillips allowed one hit and one walk in the final frame, but struck-out three to earn the save.

Viciedo's solo home run in the fourth was his 46th career Knights home run, which tied him with Josh Phegley for sixth all-time in Knights franchise history. The Cuban native hit 20 home runs with the Knights in back-to-back seasons from 2010-11. The home run for Smith was his sixth of the season.

Charlotte scored all three of their runs off Norfolk starter Chris Jones (8-7, 2.96), who was saddled with the loss.

The two teams will conclude their quick two-game set on Tuesday with a 7:05 p.m. game from Norfolk, VA. RHP Kyle Drabek (7-9, 3.55) will start for the Knights against Norfolk RHP Mike Wright (8-1, 2.40). Pre-game radio coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. on ESPN 730 AM and www.charlotteknights.com. The "Voice of the Knights" Matt Swierad will have the call for all of the action.

Check out the Charlotte Knights Statistics



International League Stories from August 31, 2015


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