Knights

Thursday, May 25, 2023

By: Dan Allison | Silver Knights media relations

Following a season opening loss in Pittsfield, the Silver Knights would pack the bus once again on Thursday but this time heading to eastern Massachusetts to take on the Rox of Brockton. In a back and forth affair, the Silver Knights would prevail with a 6-4 victory for their first win of 2023.

Thursday’s night contest was a chess match between the two offenses, trading blows early on. Brockton struck first off Nashua’s starter Nate Bonacorsi, the junior arm from Rivier. Georgetown’s Luke Bauer slapped a RBI single to get the Rox on the board in the second, 1-0.

Immediately after Bauer’s RBI, Nashua answered back. A walk and a single for the Knights made a passed ball by Brockton costly with those two runners coming across to score. Through two and a half, Nashua had their first lead of the year.

A gifted lead for the Knights would only last so long, with Brockton’s returning slugger Manny Ramirez Jr. coming to the plate with two on. Tallahassee Community College’s young star is the only returner of last season’s squad of hall of fame sons for the Rox.

Wasting no time to exhibit his power, Ramirez Jr. blasted a three run shot for his first of the year. This homer gave Brockton a 4-2 lead.

While the Manny slam got the Brockton crowd energized, the Knights bats did not stand down. Nashua put up a four spot in the top of the fourth, continuing to one-up the Brockton offense in their response.

WPI’s Kyle DeRoma and Eastern Nazarene’s Shane McNamara, two returnees from the 2022 championship squad, flashed shades of last season with two RBI singles in the four run effort.

After 10 runs between the two teams through only three and a half, it would be up to the bullpens to step up. A task that Nashua failed to achieve in Pittsfield the night prior.

After a solid showing from Bonacorsi’s first start of the year, Nichols’s Brandon Metivier came in and took over. Metivier would strike out five in four and ⅓ innings with no runs to his name. 

Brockton’s bullpen would stifle the Nashua offense as well, but Metivier’s player of the game performance would allow the Knights to cruise to a 6-4 victory to bring them to 1-1.

Now in the win column for the first time in 2023, the Silver Knights will cap off their opening road trip by traveling to Worcester, MA tomorrow. Silver Knights vs Bravehearts is set for 6:30 PM on Friday.