FCA Patriots Pull Away from Knights at Larry Bell Park

The Marietta Knights kept things close early against the Cobb County power house FCA Mt. Paran Patriots before succumbing to the big hitters in a 9-1 loss at Larry Bell Park. The Patriots were impressive throughout the night blasting hard hit balls at the Knights' defense. The Knights played well defensively for much of the night but ultimately the line drives were too much as the Knights own bats were unproductive.

Playing in front of his former All Star coaches inspired Hunter Williamson to have a strong defensive night. With the outfield playing deep, Hunter twice had to go a long way from his 2B position to track down high fly balls in the outfield. Once in CF and once in RF. Big Game Hunter played for Patriots' Coaches Tony, Jerry and Doug with the Mt. Paran Titans a few years back.

Gil Hastings threw a shutout inning with 1 K against the hot hitting Patriots

Gil Hastings was terrific on the mound in just his second appearance. Gil pitched great in practice during Spring Break and was rewarded with having to face one of the best hitting teams the Knights will meet all season. Gil responded by throwing a shutout inning with 1 strikeout and a 59% strike ratio.

The Defensive Play of the Game came from Presley Field who has been solid at 1B all season. After a deep grounder to 3B, the throw looked to be just ahead of the runner but high and headed towards the fence. Presley straightened, went up high on one foot, stretched and snatched the ball out of the sky while maintaining contact with the bag to get the Knights out of the inning.

JD Rinehimer and Mason Doyle provided the Knights offense. Each had a single with JD adding 2 stolen bases and Mason 1 stolen base and a run scored.

The Knights look to rebound on Saturday with a doubleheader against the Georgia Warriors in John's Creek.

No Joy in Douglasville - Knights gain valuable experience but no wins at USSSA NIT

Cal Hughes was strong on the mound, in the field and had 2
doubles at the plate.

The Knights continued their pattern of saving their best performance for Sunday but they were not able to generate enough offense to overcome the Buckhead Bucks in an 8-2 loss that knocked Marietta out of the Global Sports Qualifier NIT at Hunter Park in Douglasville. The Knights offense struggled throughout the tournament and Saturday's games were marked with maddening defensive lapses that the prevented the boys from settling down and playing good baseball in losses to the Armuchee Tomahawks and Georgia Marlins. On the bright side, the Knights got very good pitching in all 3 games and Coach Rob feels like he learned alot about handling his staff in future tournaments. Cal Hughes, Austin Hansell, JD Rinehimer and Will Nelson were all strong on the mound and proved they can give their team a chance to win.

Cal Hughes had a huge tournament for the Knights. Cal struck out 4 in 3 innings against Armuchee on Saturday and came back to throw 2 scoreless innings against the Bucks on Sunday. He threw a whopping 67% strikes for the weekend. Cal also made several great catches in CF and doubled twice.

Will Nelson once again provided the Defensive Play of the Game 1 against the Tomahawks. Armuchee had a runner on second and the batter drove a single into RF. Will charged the line drive, scooped and fired a throw that took one hop into Austin's mitt at home allowing Austin to lay down the tag just as the runner from second slid in for the exciting out. In addition to Cal's two doubles, JD Rinehimer added a 2B and a run scored in the game.



Hunter Williamson singled, stole 2 bases and
scored against the Buckhead Bucks

The Defensive Play of Game 2 was also an exciting play at the plate against the Georgia Marlins. With runners on the corners, Will stepped off the rubber to catch the runner on 1B breaking early. As he started to throw over, the runner on 3B broke for home so Will threw to Cal at the plate. Cal ran the runner back to 3B but threw high. Hunter Williamson went up the ladder to snag the ball that looked to be headed to LF and gave chase throwing back to Cal who put the tag on the runner sliding into home. Austin Hansell had 2 RBI's for the Knights against the Marlins.

On Sunday, the Knights regained their composure and defensive highlights became the norm instead of the exception against the Buckhead Bucks. Third baseman Austin Hansell made a great backhanded catch against the fence on a looping foul ball. Catcher Will Nelson picked up a wild pitch at the fence and made a diving tag at the plate to exchange several cleats to the forearm for an important out. Cal caught back to back flyouts in CF including a low, sinking line drive that he caught on a sprint. With all that competition The Defensive Play of the Game goes to JD Rinehimer because his play was a great heads up play as well as an athletic play and because you just don't see FC 8u in the scorebook very often. With a runner on first, the Bucks batter hit a high, shallow flyball into no man's land. Mason (SS), Isaac(2B) and JD(CF) all converged on the ball but it dropped in between them. JD scooped the ball on a sprint and recognized that the runner on 1st had been forced to hold and that there was no one left to cover 2B. JD kept running with his trademark grin and tagged 2B just ahead of the runner for the unconventional out.



George Krivsky caught 2 flyballs in LF
and singled for the Knights

JD also scored the Knights first run against the Bucks. After
legging out an 18" infield single JD stole 2nd and 3rd and scored on a deep sacrifice fly to CF from Mason Doyle. Hunter Williamson singled to CF and also stole 2nd and 3rd allowing him to score on a fielder's choice by JD in the 3rd. Gil Hastings, George Krivsky and Isaac Zefo each added hits for the Knights.
Although it was a frustrating weekend for Marietta, Coach Rob told the boys that the season is a process and this weekend was a step along the way. The team learned alot about its pitchers and especially after Garrett's return from Spring Break should be well stocked for tournament runs to come. Also on Sunday, the Knights got back to the great defense they'd shown against the Cobb Coyotes Wednesday night. Finally, as the heart of the order struggled offensively, the bottom of the order came up with several big hits. Soon all these guys will be hitting at the same time and the Knights will have a formidable offense. Next up for Marietta is a NABL-West matchup across the county against the Shaw Park Thunder.



JD Rinehimer pitched well and had a
2B, 2 stolen bases, 3 runs scored
and an RBI on the weekend.

Will Nelson had another strong outing
on the mound and provided great defense
from several positions through the weekend



Knights Battle Cobb Coyotes to the Wire in NABL West Action

Austin Hansell celebrated his birthday with
Johnny's Pizza, 2 big hits and a postgame cake

The Marietta Knights took on their good friends the Cobb Coyotes in a NABL - Western Division matchup at Walton High School Wednesday night. The Knights looked the heavily favored Coyotes right in the eyes and fought hard for six strong innings before coming up just short in a 7-6 loss. Several Knights players got together at Johnny's Pizza before the game to celebrate Austin Hansell's birthday and then made the short trek over to Walton HS ready to play.

Cal Hughes was great in his first start on the mound. He struck out 2 in 2 innings of work and did not give up any earned runs. Cal also helped himself with a big double to the CF wall and 2 runs scored.

Cal Hughes struck out 2 in 2 innings

The defensive play of the game came in the 2nd after a Coyotes batter blasted a deep shot to the LF wall. Isaac Zefo threw a strike from the fence to SS Jack Rinehimer who made a perfect relay to Garrett Wells who spun around and applied the tag to cut down the runner at 2B. It was a great athletic and fundamental play by all 3 players and put a charge in the Knights' dugout and crowd.

Garrett Wells was nearly perfect after taking the mound in the 4th and gave up no runs in 2 innings of
work. Birthday boy Austin Hansell had a big night going 2 for 3 with an RBI, a run scored and a stolen base. JD Rinehimer, Will Nelson and Hunter Williamson each added RBI singles. Isaac Zefo finished the night with 3 assists.

JD Rinehimer delivered an RBI single

Big Game Hunter drove in a run with
 a single to RF and came around to score

Coach Rob was extremely proud of the boys tonight and saw a changed team in action. Facing a strong, AAA team stocked with talented players, the Knights took the field confidentally and showed they can play with anybody. They were aggressive at the plate and their defense was excellent. Marietta only committed 1 error and it occurred on the first batter of the game. The road doesn't get any easier as the Knights travel to Douglasville this weekend for the USSSA Global Sports Qualifier NIT at Hunter Park. But the boys are playing great baseball and they look to keep it going in tournament action this weekend.

 

Washed Out...Again.

Once again, Larry Bell Park was better suited for a Swim Meet or Bassmasters Tournament than a baseball game.

The Marietta Knights' Sunday night NABL game against the Cobb Coyotes was washed away by heavy thunderstorms. It was the second straight rainout for the Knights. Their Monday night match up with the North Georgia Outlaws in Milton was washed out by heavy rains and tornado warnings. After taking Easter weekend off, the Knights will try again to take on the Coyotes at their home park at Walton High School on April 3.

Hopewell Edges Knights 5-4 in Austell

The Knights get pumped for the start of the GSA Point Chasers Tournament in Austell

Will Nelson was great on the
mound in a 1 run loss to
the Hopewell Hawks

It wasn't always pretty for the Marietta Knights at the GSA Points Chasers Tournament in Austell this weekend as they dropped both pool games to the Georgia Marlins and Strike One Sports Slammers. But the Knights buckled down in bracket play and battled the 3rd seeded Hopewell Hawks in a great defensive battle before finally falling 5-4 at Legion Field. Will Nelson was brilliant on the mound once again in his second tournament start. Will struck out 3 in 4 innings and held the Hawks scoreless in the 3rd and 4th innings. He also provided the Defensive Play of the day when he made a diving catch on a foul fly ball across the 3rd base line. The runner-up defensive play of the game came when Will made a diving catch on a foul fly ball across the first base line (the only reason this play was the runner up was because it lacked originality). Will had 3 assists including a pickoff and 2 putouts from the mound.

Mason Doyle went a whopping 5 for 8 with
3 RBI's and 2 runs scored on the weekend

Presley Field and Mason Doyle continued their hot hitting for the Knights. On the weekend, Presley went 3 for 4 with 4 RBI's and 3 walks while Mason was 5 for 8 with 3 RBI's and 3 stolen bases. Austin Hansell added 2 RBI's and Isaac Zefo had the longest hit of the weekend when he blasted a double off of the base of the Blue Monster in left field against the Slammers. On the defensive side, Cal Hughes recorded 3 assists and 4 putouts while Mason added 2 assists and 4 putouts.

The Knights take a week off from the tournament circuit next week and will take on the Mt. Paran Patriots in NABL-West action next Sunday.

A Meeting of the Marietta Knights Ladies Auxiliary was held on the banks of the beautiful Austell River

Knights Advance to Semifinals in Cartersville with Win over Scorpions

The Marietta Knights celebrate their 8-7 quarterfinal victory over the SBA Scorpions

In weather better suited for the Iditarod, the Marietta Knights were trying to close out their best all around performance of the season, but the favored SBA Blue Scorpions had the tying run on 3rd base and the winning run at the plate with 2 outs in the final inning. Austin Hansell delivered a low fastball that the Scorpions' batter scorched up the middle. Shortstop Mason Doyle ranged to his left and calmly and cleanly fielded the ball as it hopped towards his chest and threw a strike to Presley Field who squeezed it for the exclamation point on a great 8-7 Knights' victory and the celebration was underway.



Austin Hansell had an RBI single and closed
out the final 1 2/3 inning on the mound

The Knights were committed to being more aggressive at the plate and it showed early as Will Nelson, Austin Hansell and Presley Field each hit 1st inning RBI singles as the Knights exploded for 6 runs out of the gate. Will Nelson got the start on the mound and protected the lead by completely shutting down the Scorpions in the 1st and 2nd innings striking out 3 to only 1 hit and 1 walk.

SBA finally got their big bats going in the 3rd including a monstrous homerun that hit the roof of the concession stand to cut the Knights lead to 7-4. It started to feel like the Bush Leagues as the Scorpions resorted to heckling and catcalling Will in an attempt to rattle him, but with runners on 2nd and 3rd he stayed cool and coaxed a high pop up to short that Mason hauled in to stop the threat. Cal Hughes walked and later took home on a wild pitch to provide the final run the Knights needed.

After Will got another flyball out caught by Gil Hastings in RF, Austin took the hill and cooly closed out the final 1 2/3 innings with a strike out and some great defensive help from his teammates. In the defensive play of the game, SBA hit a high pop in foul territory. SBA's 3B coach held his ground forcing JD Rinehimer to run around the coach and make a diving catch, scooping the ball just above the frozen grass. Garrett Wells got the 2nd out on a grounder to 2B leading to the final grounder to Mason. It was a great win for the Knights as it showed them what they can do when they're aggresive at the plate and on the basepaths. Best of all, it showed how cool these boys are with a game on the line and they sure did deliver.

Cal Hughes had a double, 2 runs scored
and a started a double play on the day

The win advanced the Knights to a rematch with the Oregon Park Phantoms, the eventual tournament champions. The Phantoms jumped out to a 9-0 lead when it was determined that they were using a gas heater to heat their bats. USSSA rules call for all batters found to have used altered bats to be ruled out and the coaches ejected. Unfortunately, the field umpires simply told them to turn off the heaters. Once the heaters were off, the Knights outscored the Phantoms 3-2 the rest of the way but fell 11-3. Garrett Wells hit a 2 RBI single that scored Cal and Hunter. The defensive play of the semi-final was by Cal Hughes who caught a shallow flyball in left and doubled a baserunner off at 2B.
All in all, it was a great day for the Knights as they advanced in their first tournament of the season and gained some great experience that will come in handy as the season progresses.

Snow Day in Cartersville

Is this Wrigley? With temps in the low 30's Mason prepares to make a play in between the snow flakes.

The Marietta Knights arrived in Cartersville for the USSSA Champs Wear the Rings Tournament Saturday morning to temperatures in the low 30's and played several innings in a steady snowfall. The Knights knew they were facing very tough competition in their pool play games but solid starting pitching kept them in both games until big innings and not enough offense ultimately doomed the boys from Marietta.

JD Rinehimer started game 1 against the Oregon Park Phantoms striking out 5 in 3 innings. The offensive highlight of the game was Will Nelson's big blast to the CF fence in the 2nd. But the Knights' offense couldn't get anything else going and Oregon Park used a 5 run third to put the Knights away 9-0.


Will Nelson played all 5 innings of Game 2 behind the plate
and had a big hit in Game 1.

In game 2, Austin Hansell was great on the mound against the SBA Scorpions in his first start of the season. Austin struck out 4 and only allowed 3 hits in 3 innings. He also fielded the position very well helping himself with 2 assists from the mound. The Knights were very much in the game trailing 3-0 after 3. The Scorpions big inning came in the 5th when they put up 6 runs to complete the 11-1 victory.

The Defensive Play of the Day was a perfectly executed run down in the 2nd when Austin caught a Scorpions' baserunner off of 1B, threw to Presley Field (1B) who threw to JD(SS), who threw back to Austin who threw to Mason Doyle (2B) who applied the tag. It was a beautiful play and the boys went crazy when Mason showed the ump he still had the ball and got the out call.

Presley had 9 putouts
on the day

Despite the losses, 2 Knights had very good days. The freezing temperatures couldn't cool off Isaac Zefo's hot bat as he went 3 for 3 with an RBI. Meanwhile, Presley Field picked up where he left off last season at 1B. In addition to his part in the run down, Presley recorded 9 put outs at first on the day.

The Knights will start bracket play Sunday morning at Rudy York Field in Cartersville.