Knights march to another conference sweep against rival Bucks County Community College
By Bret Saveleski
Knightly News Reporter
Photos by Abbee Breski
Knightly News Photographer
The Central Penn College Knights baseball team swept the Bucks County Community College Centurions in a doubleheader Friday, improving their record to a stellar 13-0 mark in the Eastern States Athletic Conference this season.
The Knights, fresh off off another doubleheader sweep versus Williamson Trade last Wednesday, were hungry to face their long-time rivals in an afternoon showdown at FNB Field on City Island in Harrisburg.
Game 1
Wyatt Koser started the first contest and continued his reputation as the college’s strikeout king, after passing Quinton Heckard for the most strikeouts in program history earlier this month.
The game began with the Bucks County leadoff man Sami Nezaj singling before Koser struck out Chris Ortlip. Nazaj was then cut down trying to steal, thanks to a strong throw by Tanner Boyd and an excellent pick by Terrell Smith-Cole. The frame was capped off by another strikeout from Koser.
The Knights went down quietly in the bottom of the inning despite having two men on base. The game would remain scoreless in the second as well.
That would all change in the bottom of the third. Smith-Cole led the inning off with loud contact, resulting in a lineout on a spectacular play from center fielder Jayden Nezaj. Owen Zell then legged out a bunt single and Boyd moved him to third with a single through the left side. The scoring would start after David Thomas ripped a double down the third base line to score Zell. After a Nic Joseph walk, Gabe Kaufman, Tanner McCoy and Sam Royer all drove in runs, bringing the score to 5-0 in favor of the Knights.
After another dominant frame from Koser in the top half of the fourth inning, the Knights continued their offensive barrage in the bottom of the inning. After both Zell and Boyd drew back-to-back walks, William Baker III pinch ran for Boyd. Then, the duo had a double steal to put two runners in scoring position. Thomas stepped up and produced another clutch hit, driving in both men on a two-RBI single to extend the lead to 7-0. Koser continued to be in control in the top of the fifth, sitting the Centurions down in order.
As amazing of a game as Koser pitched through five, he did have some issues finding the plate in the top of the sixth. After a lead-off walk to Sami Nezaj, Koser hit Ortlip with a pitch inside. Then, designated hitter Evan Urglavitch singled and drove in a run. After a Koser balk allowed runners to advance to second and third, first baseman Joe Ruggiero drove in both men with a two-RBI single, ending Koser’s day.
The Knights elected to bring in Jowan Morales, who has been a steadying force out of the Knights bullpen this season. And while Morales walked Ty Pan and John Mulder to load the bases, he promptly got out of the inning by inducing a lineout to right by Sami Nezaj. Morales came out for the seventh inning, striking out two, including a called third strike to Austin Frank to end the game in style.
The Weis Knightly News Player of the Game was Koser, going 5 2/3 innings, allowing five hits and two runs, striking out seven. Thomas led the way offensively for the Knights by going 3-for-4 with three RBIs. Royer also turned in a strong performance by going 1-for-3 with two RBIs. Zell went 1-for-3 with a stolen base and a run.
Game 2
In Game 2, Knights’ ace Cameron Smiley took the hill for Central Penn and did not disappoint, striking out the side the opening frame.
The Knights came out of the gates hot offensively in this one. Zell led off with a walk and Boyd reached on an error before Thomas crushed a three-run homer into the fifth row of the left field seats. Nic Joseph then singled, stole second and ended up on third due to an errant throw. He would score quickly after on a passed ball to put the Knights up 4-0 going into the second.
In the top of the second, Smiley worked through a jam. After walking Alex Fantaskey, Pan singled and Jayden Nezaj walked to load the bases with two outs. But Smiley was on his game on the afternoon, emphatically striking out Sami Nezaj to end the inning.
The score stayed at 4-0 until the bottom of the fourth inning. With two outs, Zell singled and Boyd drove him in with a ringing double, making the score 5-0 in favor of the Knights.
Smiley again ran into trouble in the fifth inning, allowing back-to-back-to-back singles to the heart of the Centurions order. Coach Charles Stevens called on Mark Culp to put out the fire, who quickly got Fantaskey to ground out. After Culp walked in a run, Tripp Shytle grounded out to second base to end the threat with only one run across.
But the Knights struck back in the bottom of the fifth. After a lead-off double by Joseph, Kaufman walked to put two men on base. Then, McCoy singled in a run, making the score 6-1. Then, Bucks County had a throwing error that allowed both Kaufman and McCoy to score, putting the Knights up 8-1.
In the sixth, Culp worked around a hit batsman and a single to quash the attempted rally by Bucks County. The Knights continued their offensive barrage in the bottom half of the sixth. After the first three Central Penn batters reached base, a wild pitch allowed Baker III to score. During the next batter, Buck County pitcher Adrian Santiago balked, pushing home Thomas for another run. Then, Nick Walter drove in another run on a fielder’s choice, ending the game on a 10-run mercy rule. The Knights were victorious in Game 2 by a score of 11-1.
The Weis Knightly News Player of the Game was Thomas, going 1-for-3 with a home run, three RBI, two runs and a steal. Joseph finished 2-for-3 with three runs and a steal in the contest. McCoy also put together a solid game, going 1-for-1 with a steal, a run and two walks.
Smiley pitched very well during the contest, going 4 1/3 innings, allowing only four hits while striking out eight. Culp pitched solidly in relief, allowing only two baserunners in his 1 2/3 innings to close out the game.
With this doubleheader sweep against Bucks County Community College, the Knights improved to a 21-8 record, only one win away from tying their most wins in program history. They have also managed to post a pristine 13-0 mark in the ESAC Conference.
The Knights have one home game left on the schedule for the regular season, facing off against Penn State Fayette on April 30 at 2 p.m. at FNB Field. The Knights will also host the upcoming ESAC Championship game, with a date to be determined in the coming days.
