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FL New England Knockouts

Six-Run Seventh Costs New England the Victory over Joliet

June 12, 2024 - Frontier League (FL)
New England Knockouts News Release


BROCKTON, MA. - Jeissy DeLaCruz went 2 for 3 and 2 RBIs to give Joliet an 9-1 victory over New England on Wednesday night at Campanelli Stadium. The Slammers boasted their record to 13-16 while the Knockouts collapsed to 10-18.

Prior to the game coach Edmondson spoke about last night's loss and how the team looks to regroup for tonight's game. "Their guy pitched so well last night, a veteran guy like I told you before the game I knew is going to be tough. You don't make it to be a veteran pitcher in this league unless you have a really good idea what you want to do. He had good stuff. He just kept us off-balance. We really didn't hit the ball hard and didn't have a lot of chances to score and we had a couple chances on the end to make it a little closer but we just really had no offensive rhythm. So hopefully tonight we get out there a little bit earlier with a different arm. We've been swinging the ball so we'll see."

Joliet starting pitcher Dwayne Marshall secured the win by pitching 6.1 innings, allowing only four hits and one earned run. He also managed to strike out seven Knockouts batters while walking just one. However, New England starting pitcher Liam O'Sullivan endured a tough outing and was charged with the loss. Over 6.1 innings, he conceded eight hits and seven runs, with five of them being earned. He also walked a batter and struck out six Joliet batters.

Prior to the game Mark Herron Jr. spoke about his two run home run last night in the bottom of the ninth against the Slammers. "That one was one of us that I kind of just blacked out and I was just like in the moment and I have been having some struggles early on in the season. So it felt good and just let it all out."

Joliet wasted no time getting on the board in the first inning. Matthew Warkentin crushed a 389-foot, two-run home run to the opposite field in right on a 1-1 count with one out.

Brady West hit a sharp single into right field and then advanced to second base on a wild pitch. Later in the inning, Jake Boone belted a two-out triple into the gap in right-center field to bring the team within one run, making the score 2-1 in favor of the Slammers.

In the first inning, O'Sullivan faced some difficulties, giving up those two runs but he found his rhythm and went on to retire 12 of the next 14 batters, striking out four of them. However, in the fifth inning with two outs DeLaCruz reached base due to an error by the shortstop, J.R. DiSarcina. Marshall surrendered a run in the second inning but then retired the following 12 batters. He only allowed a base hit up the middle to Ramon Jimenez with two outs in the sixth inning.

Jimenez initially stole second base and then advanced to third on a wild pitch. Austin White subsequently walked and also stole second base. With two runners in scoring position, John Cristino stepped up to the plate, but unfortunately grounded out to third, bringing an end to the inning.

In the seventh inning, Joliet had a strong offensive showing, scoring six runs to take control of the game. The momentum started with a solid hit from Brandon Heidal, who doubled to right field to kick off the inning. As the inning progressed, the Slammers managed to get runners on the corners, setting the stage for Liam McArthur to bring in the third run with a well-placed RBI single to right field. The team's lead expanded when Chris Davis hit a double to right field, bringing the score to 4-1. With two runners in scoring position, DeLaCruz came through with a broken-bat two-run single, adding to Joliet's lead. The team continued to pile on two more runs, ultimately taking an 8-1 lead.

In the eighth inning, McArthur hit a single to the third base side and then advanced to second base on a wild pitch. The next hitter, Davis hit a pop-up that caught the catcher off guard, as Cristino seemed to lose track of the ball, allowing it to land in fair territory for an RBI. This led to McArthur scoring all the way from second base as a result the Slammers build on to their lead 9-1.

Joliet had a strong offensive performance with four players - DeLaCruz, McArthur, Chris Davis, and Brandon Heidel - each securing multiple hits. Additionally, McArthur, Matthew Warkentin, and Victor Nova each contributed with a hit. On the New England side, Brady West had a standout performance with multiple hits, while Jimenez and Boone each notched a hit.

The Knockouts are back in action on Thursday at 6:30PM, hosting the Joliet Slammers for game three of their three-game series. Tickets for the contest can be found at https://tickets.knockoutsbaseball.com/.

Check out the New England Knockouts Statistics

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