Knights Closeout Season Series with the Spikes with 11-7 win

The Marietta Knights relax in the Larry Bell grandstand after a big 11-7 victory

The Marietta Knights closed out their season series with the East Marietta Spikes with one of their most complete games of the year in an 11-7 victory on Monday at Larry Bell Park.

The teams were tied 0-0 after 1. Mason Doyle led off the 2nd with a single and then stole 2nd and 3rd and took home on a passed ball to give the Knights a 1-0 lead. Hunter Williamson started on the mound for the Knights and threw 2 solid innings only allowing 1 unearned run. The Knights preserved a 1-1 tie in the 2nd with the first of 2 Defensive Plays of the Game. With 1 out, 2 Spikes reached on errors and were on 2nd and 3rd when one of their teammates hit a flyball to LF. Austin Schubert made the catch in LF for the 2nd out and fired towards the plate. The runner on 2nd tagged and headed for 3rd on the throw, but Hunter cut the throw and fired to Austin Hansell at 3B who tagged out the runner to end the inning.

As so often happens, the big defensive play carried over and got the Knights' bats going. George Krivsky continued his power hitting tear with a 2 run double. Mason singled again and came home on an RBI single by Schubie to give the Knights a 4-1 lead. In the bottom of the 3rd the Spikes cut the lead to 4-2 and had the bases loaded with 1 out when the Knights delivered the 2nd Defensive Play of the Game. Luke Martin took the mound with the bases load and got a hot comebacker that he grabbed and quickly threw to Will Nelson at the plate for one and Will turned and fired to Presley Field at 1B  to complete the 1-2-3 double play and end the inning.

Again the excitement carried to the Knights' at bat. Austin Hansell led off with a single and scored on Will's single. Jackson Tysinger walked and Luke reached on an error to load the bases. George grounded to 2nd and the Spikes got the out at 2nd, but George beat the double play attempt allowing Will and Jackson to score and push the Knights lead to 7-2.

Luke shutdown the Spikes 3 up/3 down in the 5th and the Knights put it out of reach in the 6th. Hunter, Schubie, Garrett Wells and Will each got hits as the Knights put up 4 more and led 11-2. The Spikes fought back hard and started scoring in the 6th but the Knights stayed calm and concentrated on getting outs. With the score 11-7, Hunter fielded a grounder at 2nd and threw on to Presley for the final out. It was the 7th time this season Hunter closed out a win with a putout or assist and he closed one out offensively with a run rule walk off homer.

There's nothing more fun than watching this team play to their potential and they did it Monday night in beating a very good East Marietta Spikes team. The Knights return to USSSA action this weekend in Carrollton, Georgia.

Errors Doom Knights in 10-9 loss to East Marietta Spikes

The Marietta Knights defense that has been so strong for weeks finally had an off night. Somehow they kept the game close but their 7 errors as well as a few base running blunders prevented a win and the Spikes held on 10-9.

The Knights out hit the Spikes 12 to 9. Mason Doyle hit a triple and laid down a gorgeous bunt down the 3B line for a hit. Gil Hastings hit a 2 run triple and walked 3 times. Garrett Wells and Will Nelson each had 2 hits and scored twice. Austin Schubert struck out 3 in 2 innings of work.

Knights Edge Past Scrappy East Marietta Rattlers 11-5 to Complete Season Series Sweep

Luke Martin pitched 2 3 up/3 down innings
with 2 K's and hit a triple and scored twice.

The Marietta Knights pulled away late for an 11-5 win and season series sweep over the much improved East Marietta Rattlers Tuesday night at Larry Bell Park. Marietta had to overcome a great game by the Rattlers #7 who made several big league plays in the field including twice throwing out Knights batters from deep behind 3B. #7 also went 2 for 3 with a double and 2 RBI's. Luckily the Knights found enough offense in the 1st and 5th to take the win.

Luke Martin started on the mound and threw 2 perfect innings with 2 strikeouts. The Knights took a 1-0 lead after 1 without a hit thanks to the wheels of Mason Doyle. Mason walked, went to 3rd on a ground out to 2nd and scored on a ground out to 1B. Marietta's big bats got going in the second. Luke bombed a triple to LCF. Hunter singled him in and scored on a double by Austin Schubert. Presley Field singled next and then Garrett Wells singled in Schubie. Presley scored on an error and George Krivsky smashed a double to CF that scored Garrett and gave the Knights a 6-0 lead. The Knights added 1 in the 3rd for a 7-0 lead but were shut out in the 4th.

Meanwhile the Rattlers manufactured a run in the 4th and took advantage of several walks and the big 2 run double by #7 to claw back into the game. At 7-5 it was suddenly a dog fight. Mason led off the 5th with a single and promptly stole 2nd and 3rd and came home when Luke reached on an error. George and Gil walked and all 3 guys took home on wild pitches to close out the win at 11-5. It was a great test for the Knights and they answered by taking care of business. The Knights players and staff were impressed with the great improvement made by the Rattlers over the course of the season.

Knights Split with Newnan Taters, Advance to Semifinals for 2nd Week in a Row.

Austin Hansell had 5 RBI's in the Knights 3 games

The Marietta Knights turned a close game against the Newnan Taters into a blowout for their 3rd straight win and a spot in the USSSA NIT Semifinals at Mt. Tabor Park in Dallas, Georgia. Newnan took an early 2-0 lead after the first. But in the 2nd, Mason Doyle singled to start a rally. After walks to Luke Martin and Presley Field loaded the bases, Mason and Luke both scored on wild pitches to tie the game. Will Nelson grounded out behind the runners to score Presley and give Marietta a 3-2 lead.

After a 2 base error, Newnan tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the 2nd and shut the Knights out in the 3rd. Hunter Williamson came on to pitch in the bottom of the 3rd and threw a much needed shutout inning with a strikeout and pop outs to C Austin Schubert and SS Mason Doyle. The game went to the 4th knotted at 3-3.

In the top of the 4th, the Knights offense absolutely exploded. Luke Martin started the onslaught with a single. Schubie, Presley, Hunter and Will made it 5 straight singles and the Knights held a 6-3 lead. With 1 out, George Krivsky singled and Gil Hastings walked. Austin Hansell hit a 2 RBI single and Mason reached on a error by the RF that scored 2 more runs and the Knights held a commanding 10-3 lead. Luke came up again and hit his second single of the inning, this time bringing home a run. Schubie walked this time around, but Presley and Hunter each added RBI hits. 2 more runs scored on a fielder's choice and an error and the stunned crowd looked up to find Marietta leading 15-3.



Hunter threw 6 2/3 innings without an earned run in 2
appearances and had 4 hits and 3 RBI's in the tourney 

Presley came on to pitch in the 4th and got a groundout to Hunter at 2nd base. The next out came on the Defensive Play of the Game with a looping line drive down the 3B line. 3rd baseman Luke Martin laid out and made a beautiful diving catch with the ball just an inch from the ground. With a runner on 3rd, Presley got another slow grounder to Hunter at 2nd that he threw on to Gil at first to seal the run rule victory.

The win put the Knights into the Semifinals for the 2nd week in a row. The 12 runs scored in the 4th set a franchise record for most runs scored in an inning. Austin, Hunter and Will each had 2 RBI's for the Knights and George, Luke, Presley and Hunter each had 2 hits in the game.

After a win over 5 Tool Baseball, the Taters earned a rematch with the Knights in the semifinal. The Knights led most of the game and Hunter threw a great game on the mound going 5 2/3 innings without giving up an earned run. But errors proved to be the Knights undoing and Newnan took the lead with 3 runs in the 6th and held the Knights scoreless in the bottom of the inning to advance to the Finals with a 7-6 win. George was 3 for 3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored, Will was 2 for 3, Austin had 2 RBI's and Mason added a triple.

Presley Field is having a monster season at 1B and threw
a shutout inning to close out the win against Newnan

Hastings Pitches Knights past South Paulding Spartans

Gil struck out 4 in 5 2/3 for the win and singled and scored a run.

Gil Hastings pitched a gem on Saturday in his longest outing of the season as the Knights opened the
USSSA NIT in Dallas with 7-4 win over the South Paulding Spartans. Gil went 5 2/3 innings with 4 strikeouts and only allowed 1 earned run. Jackson Tysinger led the offense going 2 for 4 with a double, 2 RBI's and a run scored.

The Knights took the lead in the 2nd after Austin Hansell led off with a single. George Krivsky ripped a triple to the fence in RCF that scored Austin all the way from first. Luke Martin followed up with a line drive single to left that brought home George and gave the Knights a 2-0 lead. Jackson led off the 3rd with a single and stole 2nd and 3rd allowing him to score on a 2 out single by Austin to push the lead to 3-0.




George Krivsky blasted an RBI Triple.

Luke led off the 4th with a double and went to 3rd on a single by Austin Schubert and Presley Field walked to load the bases. On an 0-2 count, Hunter Williamson choked up and put the ball in play that scored Luke and pushed Presley and Schubie to 2nd and 3rd as Hunter was thrown out at 1st. After a pop out, Jackson smashed a 2 out, 2 run double to left field. The Knights lead was now 6-0. Gil singled in the 5th, stole 2nd and scored on an error to score the final Knights run and give the Knights a 7-0 lead.

At that point, the boys started taking the win for granted and a triple and 3 straight errors suddenly closed the gap to 7-4. With time expired in the 6th, a walk, a single and another error loaded the bases for the Spartans with one out. Schubie came on to try to save it for the Knights. On his fourth pitch, the Spartans cleanup hitter hit a sky high flyball between 2nd and SS. The ump immediately called the Infield Fly rule and the batter was out. The ball dropped causing the runner on first to break for second even though he didn't have to. Hunter picked up the ball and threw to Presley at first who made the tag as the runner bowled over Presley at 1B for a wild double play to end the game.

It was a beautiful weekend at Mt. Tabor Park in Dallas and, as always, the Marietta Knights brought the prettiest fan club

Knights Cruise Past Rattlers 15-2

Mason got things started with an RBI triple to straight away CF

Coach Steven Hansell guided the Knights to a 15-2 victory over the East Marietta Rattlers at Larry Bell Park. Mason Doyle got things started with a big RBI triple and George Krivsky, Presley Field and Gil Hastings were practically unhittable as the Knights cruised to the win.

Gil doubled and scored 3 times and Austin Hansell singled and scored 3 times. Austin Schubert knocked in 3 RBI's and Presley Field and Hunter Williamson added 2 RBI's each. Presley was 3 for 3 on the night with a triple and George and Hunter had 2 hits apiece.


George struck out the side in his inning on the mound, Presley struck out 3 in 2 innings and Gil struck out 2 in the final inning to close out the win. In the Defensive Play of the Game, Hunter caught a foul flyball against the Rattlers dugout from his 1B position for the final out of the game.

Gil had a big game with 3 runs scored and he struck out 2.

It was a great game for the Knights as they went out and simply took care of business offensively,
defensively and on the mound. Special thanks to Coach Steven for a great job at the helm and to Coach Robert for allowing Coach Rob to enjoy the game via the magic of Iscorecast.  

Knights Advance to Semifinals of Hickory Flats Wood Bat Bash with 3-2 Win over the Georgia Octane.

Jackson Tysinger was the winning pitcher and knocked in the winning run

It was a perfect day for baseball at Thomas Field, one of the best and certainly most unique parks in all of travel baseball. Knights fans were set up along the hill on the 1B side under large shade trees while horses roamed up to within just a few feet of the 3B fence from the vast rolling pasture next door. Coach Rob felt like he was at a college game as the Knights warmed up with music playing over the PA system and Austin jogged out to the outfield in his shin guards to warm up a pitcher. A perfect day.

The Knights were the home team thanks to their #2 seed and for the third straight game they got outstanding pitching and great defense. Jackson Tysinger got the start and only allowed 2 hits in 5 innings and struck out 4. The Knights defense played error free baseball behind him. Garrett Wells showed tremendous range in CF grabbing 2 deep flyballs and Presley Field was perfect at 1B scooping throws. Both of the Octane's runs came from walked batters. One came home on a sac fly and one scored when the Knights' catcher threw down to first on a dropped third strike.

Meanwhile, the Knights' bats that were so loud on Saturday had gone quiet again Sunday and the Octane led 2-0 going into the bottom of the 4th. In the 4th Austin Hansell, George Krivsky and Luke Martin loaded the bases with 3 straight singles. Austin Schubert made it 4 and got the Knights on the board with an RBI single to left. After a strikeout, Hunter Williamson walked to bring the tying run in and keep the bases loaded. With 2 outs, Jackson helped himself with a single just past a diving second baseman into RF that gave the Knights the lead at 3-2. The Knights don't play in very many pitcher's duels and this one run affair was tense.

Hunter came on in the 6th and got 2 quick outs on grounders to Austin at 3B and Mason at SS. But the next Octane batter blasted a double. Hunter hit the next batter and both runners advanced a base on a passed ball on suddenly the tying run was on the third and the go ahead runner was on second. The next batter hit a high pop in the infield that Hunter camped under between home on the mound to pick up the save. Jackson was the winning pitcher and knocked in the winning run and the Knights advanced to the semi finals.



The Knights pile into Coach Steven's truck between games

The Knights had about 4 hours to kill before their semifinal matchup. Several of the guys ended up at the outlet mall in Woodstock where they helped the Nike Store to a strong sales quarter. When they arrived back at the park they found out their opponent would be the Sequoyah Jr. Chiefs, a very strong AAA team. The Chiefs' big pitcher threw harder than any pitcher the Knights have faced and held the Knights to just 3 hits. He threw nothing but very fast fastballs for a couple of innings and then dropped a perfect curve for a strikeout. It was a very impressive performance. Schubie also had a great outing on the mound for the Knights. He opened with a 3 up/3 down 1st with 2 strikeouts. He added another strikeout in the 2nd before rain and lightning moved in and delayed the game for about 45 minutes. After the delay, the Chiefs pulled away and advanced to the championship game with a 6-0 win. The Knights once again committed no errors in a very solid defensive performance. The Chiefs would go on to win the tournament against the FCA Patriots.

Presley Field hit well all weekend and was perfect at 1B
routinely making great scoops and hauling in flyballs.

It was a great weekend for baseball and a great weekend to be a Knight. The boys got consistently strong pitching and had the best defensive tournament in franchise history. Although their bats struggled at times, they faced some very strong pitching, they got timely hits when they needed them to top the Octane and they had an offensive explosion in the win over the Coal Mountain Raiders. The team is making great strides and looks forward to more big wins to come.