Knights

Friday, June 22, 2024

By: Dan Allison | Silver Knights media relations

It is officially a weekend of late-game theatrics at Historic Holman Stadium, with the Knights not slowing down after Friday’s walk-off victory. After almost coughing up a 4-0 lead, Nashua picked off a runner on third for the final out of the game. Endicott’s James Benestad, in his first game as a Knight, smothered the potential Norwich rally by catching the Sea Unicorn runner off-guard after a pitch in the dirt.  

Another dramatic ending capped off what was a pretty uneventful night at Holman, with both pitching staffs going back and forth in a low-scoring duel. Colby’s Derek Woods was terrific in his first Holman start of the summer, only allowing one hit with eight strikeouts through six innings.

Nashua also struggled to generate runs early before breaking through in the fourth inning, with Stonehill’s Nate Kearney and Siena’s Jeff Valdez lacing RBI singles in what became a four-run frame for the Knights.

Through the majority of the game, it appeared that the Silver Knights could cruise to a win after the big fourth inning behind Woods’ excellent start. Nashua was in the driver's seat before Norwich could crack the scoreboard after Woods’ exit, with NJIT’s Andrew James Soldra changing the game with one swing on a three-RBI double.

Now with a one-run lead and six outs to go, the Knights turned to Endicott’s Kyan Bagshaw to try and secure his first save of the season. After a quick eighth, Bagshaw ran into trouble after a walk and single all coming with two outs.

Norwich was 90 feet away from tying the ballgame, with Nashua trying to avoid a late-game disaster similar to Tuesday’s home loss to Worcester. Soldra came to the plate with runners on second and third with the chance to do damage once again for the Sea Unicorns. 

Before Soldra could even get a swing in, a ball in the dirt from Bagshaw skipped away from Benestad but the Endicott Gull quickly recovered. Monmouth’s Alan Porter III, who came in to pinch run after the two-out walk, got lost in translation after the dirtball. 

Benestad quickly gathered and fired over to Valdez at third, with the third-base umpire delivering an emphatic out signal for what was an emphatic way to win back-to-back.

After two straight wins at Holman and winning their last three of four, the Silver Knights look to cap off their week with a doubleheader against Westfield on Sunday. Game one against the Starfires is set for 12:00 PM at Holman.