Offensive struggles hurt the Knights in loss to Boynton Beach

In the first game of the scheduled doubleheader, the bats were quiet for the Knights, as West Palm recorded no hits in seven innings and fell to the Boynton Beach Buccaneers 5–2. The Knights have now lost two straight games and their record is now 2–3. The Knights looked to bounce back in game two, but the weather had other plans and the game could not be finished.

Game 1:

West Palm trailed in the first after an RBI single from Buccaneers left fielder Charlie Granatell. The Knights were able to score their runs off of errors made by Boynton Beach, one of those being in the top of the 2nd. With the bases loaded, Buccaneers pitcher Colton Carlson hit Tommy Easley to walk home Marco Bellantoni and even the ballgame.

Stolen bases were also very crucial for Boyton Beach. In the bottom third, Marcus Omalley and AJ Orrico were able to steal bases and put themselves in scoring position. The Buccaneers were able to score their second run after first baseman Trevor Dutra was walked after three straight called balls with the bases loaded. In the next at bat from Giuseppe Arcuri, West Palm was able to secure a 4–3 double play, but Omalley was able to make it home and put the Knights in a two-score deficit, trailing 3–1 after three.

West Palm scored their second and final run in the next inning. Marco Bellantoni was able to steal second base, and shortly after was able to advance to third after a wild pitch. Moments later, Zachary Malone stepped up to the plate and although he didn’t advance due to a putout, Bellantoni scored from a fielder’s choice as Malone was nearest to the ball. This allowed West Palm to tie the game, which did not last long.

With two outs to go, Omalley hit an RBI to score in Zac Majer, and an error made in center field allowed Max Shabestari to run home and score the final two runs of the game.

As the game progressed, the Buccaneers only allowed one walk which came in the top of the sixth inning while also having clean pitching, as no Knights batters were hit by any pitches after the top of the second. With Boynton Beach cleaning up their errors and the Knights not being able to get their hitting going, West Palm was unable to threaten the Buccaneers at any point after the fourth inning.

For the pitchers, Nick DeFalle took the loss for the Knights, pitching one inning with two earned runs. For Boynton Beach, Caden Barnett received the win, pitching one inning and recording no stats as each out while being pitcher was a putout.

Game 2:

The second game of the doubleheader then began at 7:00, and through four innings both teams were scoreless. But due to lightning in the area, the rest of the game was canceled and will be re-scheduled for a future date.

Next Game:

The Knights will return home to Keiser field for a morning showdown with the Pompano Beach Clippers. This will be the first matchup between these two teams, and is scheduled to start at 10:00 AM.