Knights

Friday, June 21, 2024

By: Dan Allison | Silver Knights media relations

Three short days ago, the Worcester Bravehearts stole a 8-7 victory after a Knights’ 5-0 start to the game. Tuesday’s brutal loss included Central Michigan’s Drew Loikits missing a walk-off home run by mere inches. 

But on Friday night, Loikits did not waste his next opportunity. 

The Michigan product flipped the script on the Bravehearts, blasting a three-run shot in the ninth to seal the 5-3 victory after a 3-0 Worcester lead.

Down 3-2 entering the ninth frame, UMass Lowell’s River Hart led off with a single to get things started. Northeastern’s Anthony Ruggiero followed suit with a one-out single to set up Loikits’ fifth at-bat of the night.

On the first pitch he saw from Northeastern’s Nick Coniglio, Loikits deposited a ball into the left field picnic tables. His first home run of the season, and it could not have come at a better time.

Loikits was not the only Silver Knight to provide late game heroics, with Nashua scoring in the sixth and seventh to pull within one before the ninth. 

Ruggiero added a seventh-inning RBI single to his two-hit night. Nashua’s left fielder delivered in the field as well, making a lunging catch into the brick wall to prevent a hit.

Southern Maine’s Jason Libby gave the Knights six innings in his fourth start of the summer, but Worcester ended up getting him for three runs. Nashua’s lineups provided hits early, but could not generate runs with six runners left on base in the first four innings.

Nashua got into Worcester’s bullpen in the sixth, being just what the doctor ordered for the scoring to begin. A double from Penn State’s Adin Zorn and single from UMass Lowell’s Scott Donahue set up a RBI sacrifice fly from Endicott’s TJ Liponis to break the shutout.

Maryland’s Andrew Koshy came in following Libby, entering the game a tad bit earlier than his usual ninth inning shift. Koshy’s seventh inning entry worked perfectly for Nashua as the New York native went three scoreless to keep the ‘Hearts at 3 and let Ruggiero and Loikits take center stage.

With a win on the start of a four-game weekend at Holman, the Silver Knights will look to use this momentum into the rest of the homestand. Nashua will welcome the Norwich Sea Unicorns on Saturday night, with first pitch set for 6:00.