Three peat! Knights are ESAC champions for a third consecutive year
By Paul Miller
Knightly News Co-Adviser
Photos by Abbee Breski
Knightly News Photographer
gabryelle.breski@mymail.centralpenn.edu
The Central Penn College Knights were victorious in the ESAC Conference Championship Game on Saturday, beating the Bucks County Community College Centurions by a score of 12-7 at FNB Field on City Island in Harrisburg. In a single nine-inning game, the Knights never trailed, but that does not mean that they cruised to victory.
The Knights sent their ace, Cameron Smiley, to the mound for this contest, and he did not disappoint, blanking the Centurions for the first four innings and showing the Central Penn faithful why he was the man for the job. In the top of the first, while two baserunners did get on, Smiley struck out Austin Frank and induced a fly out to left field from Denzel Perez to get out of the jam.
Excitement came early and often for the Knights on this day. Owen Zell, consistently one of the best lead-off men in the USCAA conference, singled to start the game for Central Penn. He then stole second to put himself in scoring position. What happened next was nothing short of spectacular. Zell prepared to steal third, but the pitcher for the Centurions, Matt Pennoni, saw Zell leave second base and threw over for a sure out. But Zell was able to get out of the rundown with his speed, making it to third safely. And, on one of the most head-up plays you will ever see, Zell noticed no one was covered home. He bolted for the plate and was able to steal home, giving the Knights an emphatic way to start the scoring.
With the Knights going down quietly in the second inning, it was the third inning that really turned the tide for Central Penn. After a Terrell Smith-Cole walk and Zell reaching base on a fielder’s choice, Tyler Boyd walked to load the bases with nobody out and the heart of the Knights order due up. Then, Nic Joseph delivered a single to the outfield, bringing in both Smith-Cole and Zell and moving the courtesy runner, William Baker III, to second base. The Knights would continue their offensive barrage with back-to-back RBI by Tanner McCoy and Gabe Kaufman to put the Knights up by a score of 5-0.
Smiley continued to dominate Bucks County in the early going. In the top of the fourth inning, after putting two men on via the walk, Smiley buckled down and struck out both Jayden Nezaj and Sami Nezaj, also getting John Mulder to pop out to end the threat.
The Knights continued to push runs across in the bottom of the fourth. Weston Campbell started the hitting with a single, followed by another single from Zell and a walk from Boyd, loading the bases with only one out. Then, David Thomas sent a double off of the wall to the deepest part of the ballpark, plating two more runs. Joseph followed that with a RBI sacrifice fly, giving the Knights a comfortable 8-0 lead after four innings.
Even after a rough go through the first four innings, Bucks County Community College did not give up. In the top of the fifth, Evan Urglavitch launched his 11th homerun of the season, a mammoth blast into the right field stands. In the top of the sixth, Milo Condron singled to lead off the inning, and Jayden Nezaj also singled. After a wild pitch from Smiley, both runners advanced. Mulder added another single and Condron scored, making it an 8-2 ballgame, chasing Smiley after 5 1/3 innings. Reliver Jowan Morales came into the game and extinquished the Centurions attempted rally, inducing a Sami Nezaj popout and striking out Chris Ortlip to end the inning.
The Knights tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the sixth, with a massive RBI triple from Joseph, followed by a McCoy RBI single, making the score 10-2.
But it was not over for Bucks County Community College. As amazing as Morales was to get out of the sixth, he struggled equally as much in the seventh. After walking Urglavitch, Morales allowed three consecutive singles along with a fielder’s choice, pushing two runs across. Senior Colten Zerby came in for the Knights, striking out Mulder, seemingly turning the tide for the Knights. But an error allowed another run to score and a Sami Nezaj double plated two more runs for Bucks County, bringing the score to 10-7 after the five-run output in the seventh. Zerby came back out for the top of the eighth inning and was dominant, sitting down the heart of the Centurions lineup in order, striking out two.
The Knights were able to push two more runs across in the bottom of the eighth. After a Joseph single, Gaufman launched a triple to right field, driving in a run. Then, Gaufman scored on a passed ball, giving the Knights two insurance runs and making the lead 12-7.
In the top of the ninth, coach Charles Stevens went with the senior Colby Criswell to close out the game. After a quick out, Criswell walked Condron and Jayden Nezaj reached on a fielder’s choice, giving Bucks County a sign of life. After Mulder fouled out for the second out, a wild pitch allowed both runners to move into scoring position. But Criswell was not to be outdone, inducing a Sami Nezaj groundout, clinching the game and the ESAC Championship for Central Penn.
The Weis Knightly News Player of the Game was Smiley, tossing 5 1/3 innings, allowing only two runs while striking out seven. Offensively for the Knights, several players stood out. Zell was 2-for-5 with three runs and three steals, including the unreal steal of home in the first inning. Joseph was 3-for-4 with three runs and four RBIs, constantly making an impact every time he came to the plate. Kaufman was 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored, while Thomas was 2-for-5 with the massive two-RBI double.