Roundup: Knights fall to West Virginia Tech in home doubleheader

Feb. 18—LAURINBURG — The Knights continued their 2023 regular season campaign as they took on the West Virginia Tech Golden Bears in a non-conference doubleheader matchup at the Softball Field in Laurinburg Saturday. The Golden Bears proved to be a difficult opponent, as the Knights fell in both matchups, although making the second matchup a close call.

Starting on the mound for the Knights in this one was Meghan Fritz (Dunmore, Pa.) as she worked 5 2/3 innings while giving up 10 earned runs and striking out three Golden Bears batters.

After a quiet first inning where neither team was able to put up runs in the inning, the Golden Bears struck three runs in the top of the second after two hits and an error allowed the Golden Bears to get on the board.

After the Golden Bears were able to put up three more runs in the next three innings of work, they were able to explode for six runs in the top of the sixth after chaining seven back-to-back hits together.

Haley Zimmerman (Cygnet, Ohio) and Makenna McDaniel (St. Auburn, Wash.) were the only Knights batters to get on base in this one, as Golden Bears pitcher Courtney Miles was able to work all six innings while striking out seven St. Andrews batters.

Taking the mound for game two was Charlee Mullins (Camden, S.C.), who worked four innings and allowed four earned runs on seven hits, while striking out three West Virginia Tech batters. Sarah Sidell (Salisbury, Md.) also came into pitch in relief, as she worked a clean three innings while only allowing two hits.

After the Golden Bears struck for two runs in the top of the first, the Knights were able to respond, as a Taryn Tucker (Oakboro, N.C.) fielders choice would help bring around Zimmerman, who had stolen second base prior, to get into scoring position. Brooke Vance (Rutherfordton, N.C.) also came around to score in the inning after a pickoff attempt got the runners moving on the base paths.

The Golden Bears came into the top of the second and were able to retake the lead, as two St. Andrews errors, a single, and a triple helped bring around three runs to take back a 5-2 lead.

Although the Knights limited West Virginia Tech to just two runs throughout the rest of the contest, the Knights weren't able to get anything else going on offense, as they were limited to just four hits in the contest and ultimately ended up falling by a final score of 7-2.

Next up for the Knights will be a home doubleheader in Laurinburg against Fayetteville State on Feb. 21. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m.

Baseball falls to Brewton-Parker in doubleheader

The Knights finished up their second and third games of their three-game series against the Brewton-Parker Barons on Saturday, after taking game one Friday afternoon. The Barons proved that they could turn up the hitting, as their offense powered them to two wins against the Knights and stealing the series on Saturday with two wins.

Taking the mound in the opener for the Knights was Satoru Arai (Yokohoma, Japan) who pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits while striking out two Barons, as well. Collectively, the Barons offense came to life in the first game of the doubleheader, as they were able to amass 13 hits and seven walks as a team, in order to bring home 11 runs over seven innings of play.

After Brewton-Parker had struck for four runs in the bottom of the first and second innnings, Garrett Hamby (Granite Falls, N.C.) drove a deep fly ball into left field for a solo home run, and the Knights' first run of the game.

Down 5-2 heading into the top of sixth inning, the Knights would find the sweet spot again, as Joshua Benfield (Stanley, N.C.) drove an absolute blast to center field for a solo home run and the second Knights home run of the ball game.

Just as the team was looking to make a comeback attempt, the Barons rallied for six runs in the bottom of the sixth, that saw them chain seven runners getting on base. Now staring at an 11-2 deficit in the top of the seventh, the Knights would go down in order, ending the contest at 11-2 in the Brewton-Parker Barons favor.

Game two proved to be a much closer affair between the two sides, as Nate Moretz (Taylorsville, N.C.) and Noah Sorrells (Asheville, N.C.) both combined for six innings of work, allowing a combined two earned runs while striking out a combined five Barons batters.

After Brewton-Parker had opened the scoring with runs in the bottom of the third and fourth inning, the Knights came to life in the top of the sixth inning, when Dom Zinna (Staten Island, N.Y.) cracked a single to left field to score Jude Drzemiecki (Roanoke, Va.) from second base for the Knights' opening run of the ball game.

After allowing two runs to the Barons in the bottom of the sixth and looking at a 4-1 deficit, the Knights responded quickly in the top of the seventh, when Benfield stroked a double down the right field line to score Chance Blum (Dublin, Ga.) around from second base.

In their final attempt at a comeback in the top of the ninth, the Knights were able to get something cooking, as a Benfield fielders choice scored Cesar Morillo (Passaic, N.J.) from third base after he had got there from swiping a bag on the base paths.

Down just a run, the Knights would be shut down by the Barons' closer and would ultimately fall in the second game by a final score of 4-3.

Next up for the Knights will be a single non-conference game on the road against Bob Jones University on Feb. 21. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.

Lacrosse falls to Keiser in conference matchup

After traveling to Greensboro College for their first matchup of the 2023 season last week, the Knights took a road-trip to West Palm Beach, Fla. to take on the Keiser Hawks in an Appalachian Athletic Conference matchup on Saturday. Coming into the match, the Hawks were ranked No. 6 in the NAIA Men's Lacrosse Coaches Poll and proved to be a formidable opponent, as they were able to take this one by a final score of 14-2.

Zachary Lombardi (Cary, N.C.) got the start in net for the Knights and, although allowed 14 goals throughout the contest, played some great goaltending by recording nine saves in the match.

The Knights and Falcons enjoyed a back-and-forth start where no team was able to find the net for the first seven minutes, as a physical midfield battle and back-and-forth possessions were traded by both sides. At the 6:52 mark, Keiser's Jack Gillen was able to break the deadlock as his shot found the back of the net to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead.

Just 40 seconds later, the Knights were able to strike as Conan Hochburger's (Marietta, Ga.) shot whistled into the back of the net off of a great pass from Michael Vreeland (Las Vegas, Nev.), to give the Knights their first goal of the game.

After the Knights scored, the Hawks offense began to come to life as they were able to score the game's next five goals and take a 6-1 lead into the halftime break.

The third quarter showed why the Keiser Hawks have been regarded as one of the NAIA's premier lacrosse programs as they were able to go on for six-straight unanswered goals to take a commanding 12-2 lead in the contest.

Hochburger wasn't done, however, and found the back of the net for the second time in the match to give the Knights their second goal of the day off a beautiful entry pass from Garvey Presley (Greensboro, N.C.).

Although the score looks one way, the Knights were able to contend with the Hawks for most of the match, as they were out-shot 37-25, and fell just behind in ground balls at 16-15.

The Knights will look to rebound on Feb. 22 when they travel to Fayetteville for a non-conference game against Methodist College. The match is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.