Bats catch fire for Knights against ESAC foe Manor College
By Paul Miller
Knightly News Co-Adviser
Photos By Hannah Pasquarella
Knightly News Reporter
hannah.pasquarella@mymail.centralpenn.edu
The Central Penn College Knights baseball team had their bats catch fire on Thursday, beating ESAC conference opponent Manor College, winning by a score of 32-1 in seven innings. The 32 runs tied a school record for the Knights.
The Knights came off a two-game sweep of Penn State Mont Alto on Tuesday, though they only pushed across three runs in the two games. The Knights clearly wanted to get the offense going, especially as they come into a key stretch of the season over the next two weeks.
Due to the upcoming schedule of four games coming up this weekend, Central Penn decided to go with a bullpen game, led by junior Jordan Spadafore. While Spadafore did allow two baserunners in the first inning, he got out of the frame unscathed.
For the Blue Jays, Cidrick Navas started the contest, and generally looked good across the first three innings. After a lead-off walk to Weston Campbell in the first inning, Manor College had an error in fielding a hot shot by Darwin Cruz, allowing two runners to get into scoring position with no one out. But Navas settled down in the first, navigating the 3-4-5 hitters in the Knights lineup and not allowing a run.
In the bottom of the second inning, the Knights took advantage of a lead-off walk to Brian Lowen, followed by a double by Sam Royer. Tyler Haynes stepped to the plate and drilled another double, driving in the first run of the game. Then, Charles Lawrence delivered one of the most memorable plays of the young season, driving a ball into the right field corner. After clearing the bases, Lawrence motored around third and scored standing up for an inside-the-park homerun, giving the Knights a 4-0 lead.
Both teams were set down 1-2-3 in the third inning, but that is when the offensive barrage began for the Knights. In the fourth, the Knights countered with Mark Culp, who had a bit of a rocky outing, allowing a single, two walks and a hit-by-pitch, allowing Navas to score for the Blue Jays. Still, Culp was able to settle down and strike out the side to strand the bases loaded.
The bottom of the fourth inning saw the Knights send 10 men to the plate, highlighted by a Royer triple that plated two. All told, the Knights were able to push six runs across in the fourth, taking a commanding 10-1 lead after four innings.
For the Knights, pitcher William Baker came in for the fifth inning and did not disappoint, allowing only one hit while striking out the side. Baker came back out for the sixth and had a 1-2-3 inning, showing the dominant stuff that could serve to be a major factor for the Knights out of the bullpen for the remainder of the season.
The Knights bats did not stop in fifth and sixth, plating an eye-popping 22 runs across those two innings. The fifth inning featured RBI from Cruz and Haynes, as well as Jaiden Baltimore and Kadyn Berry, as Central Penn sent 13 men to the plate. At the end of the fifth, the Knights led by a comfortable 17-1 margin.
The offensive barrage continued in the bottom of the sixth for the Knights, plating 15 runs before Manor College was able to get out of the inning with the final out. The rally was aided by four errors for Manor College, who struggled defensively for the entirety of the game, often allowing the Knights extra chances due to the misplayed opportunities in the field.
In the seventh, the Knights sent Jowan Morales to the hill, who set the Blue Jays down 1-2-3 in the final frame, striking out two in a dominant appearance to close out the game.
The Weis Knightly News Player of the Game was Haynes, who ended up going 3-for-5 with four runs and four RBIs, adding two steals and a walk as well. Lawrence ended the game 1-for-4 with the inside-the-park homerun, though he managed two walks as well, scoring four runs. Cruz was 2-for-5, with two runs, two steals and three RBIs.
While the Knights won comfortably in this contest, they have four tough games coming up this weekend, traveling to ESAC foe Christendom on Saturday and Penn State Hazleton on Sunday. They will return home to FNB Field on March 25 for a doubleheader against Penn State York.
