Karlinchak karlin-Chucks Complete Game
Nicholas Karlinchak Snaps Knights Skid at Six
Nicholas Carlinchak (LHP) Frederick Community College
The Fort Lauderdale Knights had been on the opposite side of winning streaks for the last 6 games. The same 6’ 0” left-handed starter Nicholas Karlinchak who last time out allowed 6 earned runs in the 1st innings to the Boynton Beach Buccaneers at Santaluces Sports Complex in the first inning of the Saturday (June 19th) doubleheader, the Knights home ballpark, turned in the first complete game performance of the Knights season against the Buccaneers at their own home ballpark in game one of a doubleheader. That’s very poetic, and the left-hander after the game credited his defense with turning in the performance that allowed Karlinchak to keep his pitch count down and his emotions in control. The lefty delivered a very much needed performance, delivering the Knights their first win in their last 7 games, and prevented their manager Sam Martin from using an overtaxed bullpen.
That losing streak is now over, but it included 2 doubleheader sweeps for losses (one of which was suspended due to timing yesterday) and a great game the Knights dropped started at 6:30 on Monday night vs. the Boca Raton Blazers at Santaluces Sports Complex game, where a battle of the Ethan’s commenced. Ethan Petric started that game for the Knights and matched zeroes through 2 with Ethan Rembish on the hill for the Blazers. Petric allowed 2 runs on 2 hits in the 3rd and 4th innings, but that was it. The only problem with the Knights starter having two blemishes was that Ethan Rembish was superb. The righty starter Rembish struck out 8 over 4 shutout innings — and escaped a bases loaded debacle in the 4th with only one out by fanning two straight Knights hitters in a row in Noah Juliar and Noah Glidden.
In the 5th inning, the Knights would find themselves in a similar situation as they had been in 4 out of the last 6 games, down 6–0 after a succession of Knights relievers gave up ball four, before a three run double for Trevor Cole cleared the bases. The Fort Lauderdale bullpen, already weary from overuse since lefty Brad Skinner was abused by the Pompano Beach Clippers for 6 ER in the first in a 7–1 loss a week ago, had to come into the game early yesterday vs the Palm Beach Xtreme. They scored in every inning but the third for a 9–4 win over the Knights in what would be the only official game of the night before the lights went out. (The second game was started and then postponed with the Knights trailing 2–0).
Karlinchak was the antidote to that beleaguered bullpen, which has Thursday off to regain its composure before a doubleheader at Little Fenway this weekend after a night game starting at 6:30 at Joe Russo Field vs. the DiamondDucks, who the Knights haven’t faced since splitting a doubleheader against them in the first week of the season. He was very economical, darting his fastball the inside and outside corners, throwing the soft stuff away from the Buccaneers hitters, keeping them off balance, and shutting them out until 1 out in the 7th. The other solution of course, was the offense, which since Friday has been scoring an average of 5 runs per game.
They showed their meddle on Monday, when down half a dozen runs, they started to rally in the 6th inning of that game. Erik Gonzalez walked, Kristian Amaro singled with 1 out, Dominik Ramil walked, Thomas Batista pinch-hit for Noah Glidden and promptly singled, knocking in a run. Justin Turk, who seems to come up in big spots almost every time at bat, lined a single off of Jacob Newman’s ankle for another RBI single and all of the sudden the Knights cut the lead to four with the back-to-back run scoring base hits. The Blazers pitcher recorded a strikeout of Ryland Brown and Tim Jean struck out. The inning should have been over right there with only two runs in, but the Knights got fortunate. The swinging strike three by Jean got by Shane McGrann, the Blazer backstop. Thomas Batista, recognizing this, made a mad dash to home plate. His hand-tag of home plate went around Jacob Newman’s diving attempt at him to tag him out at home, Tim Jean reached first base, and the game was within 2. Noah Juliar walked and then Erik Gonzalez, who started the inning, walked with the bases loaded and unbelievably the game was tied at 6. With two on and two out, a call on Sawyer Feller, the Blazer up at the plate was not made by the home plate umpire that should have been strike 3. You can’t give a ballplayer multiple opportunities with strike 3. And thusly so, Feller ripped a 2-base hit to put the Blazers up 2, 8–6. The Knights would rally with another bases-loaded opportunity, and they would score Dominik Ramil to get the game within one. Unfortunately for the Knights, they left the bases loaded after scoring Ramil, and the lights went off, both on the field and on their night. It was the kind of performance that a slumping team needed to get going.
Dominik Ramil (INF) Mercer University
That offense and patience would continue through to Wednesday. It would pay off for them and it was *igknighted* by, who else, Dominik Ramil. He hit a slow grounder to third that Jonathan Lane charged. Lane is a good fielder, and he had not made an error on the season. I would have given Ramil an infield single based on the degree of difficulty of the play, but on pointstreak Lane was charged with an error on the play as he could not come up with the ball. Then on an equally slow groundball to short by Cody Lee to Mason Maxwell, the ball kicked off Maxwell’s glove and into left-centerfield. The baseball went only a couple feet behind him, but strangely, the shortstop appeared absent-minded and stared at the ball, seemingly not comprehending the larger mistake, that Dominik Ramil was flying around 2nd. He didn’t even pay attention to the runner. Ramil, who was going on contact, scored all the way from first, on an infield groundout. Seriously. He’s a special player. Noah Juliar and Payton Shubert singled, driving in Lee. Corey Clement singled and drove in Juliar. With 2 on and still no one out, Noah Glidden ripped a 2 run double to right and blew the game wide open. Tony Casanova added a RBI double and the game was effectively over, especially in a 7 inning game.
The Knights would ultimately win 7–1.