The CCRI Knights welcomed the Knights of Northern Essex Community College to Whitey Fell Field on Monday. The Knights blasted five home runs over the nine innings and beat Northern Essex, 15-11. Cam Albin (Pawcatuck, Connecticut) picked up the win for the Knights.
The game was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams scoring early and often. The Knights found themselves down 4-2 in the bottom of the second inning, when Matt Laferriere (Coventry, Rhode Island) came up and hit a home run over the left field fence on the first pitch of the inning. The Knights cut the lead to 4-3. After NECC tacked on one more run, Deiviz Lara (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) homered in the bottom of the third to make the score 5-4. After an Edwin Pichardo (Hollywood, Florida) singled, Laferriere came up and hit his second home run of the day, making the score 6-5. Joe Michael (Johnston, Rhode Island) hit a home run in the fifth inning, and Dylan Brooks’ (Lookeba, Oklahoma) home run in the sixth inning brought the score to 9-7 Knights. The teams traded runs until the bottom of the eight inning, when the Knights pulled away, scoring four runs in the inning to increase their lead to 15-9. After NECC made a late push and added two runs, the Knights closed out the game with a 15-11 victory.
The Knights used a committee approach on the mound Monday, using five pitchers. Steve Noti (Warwick, Rhode Island) started the game, going one inning and allowing one run with one strikeout. Shane Kittila (Warwick, Rhode Island) came in next, allowing four runs over two innings. Max Marcotte (Coventry, Rhode Island) entered the game after Kittila, allowing two runs while striking out two batters over one inning. Albin came into the game to settle down the pitching staff, going two innings and allowing no runs. Dave Simmons (Warwick, Rhode Island) came in to finish the game. Simmons went three innings, striking out five batters and allowing two runs.
At the plate, the Knights’ bats were on fire. Michael led the team with four hits, going 4-for-5 with three RBIs, three runs scored and one home run. Laferriere went 2-for-4 with two home runs, three RBIs and two runs scored. Pichardo went 3-for-4 with three singles, two RBIs and two runs scored. Brooks and Lara each chipped in with one home run.
Head Coach Ken Hopkins was happy about the team’s performance. He thought the team played a “very solid game” to end the regular season. The team will play a three-game series versus arch rival UConn-Avery Point this weekend to determine the New England champion. The Knights will host Game 1 at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. In addition, there will be a memorial service for CCRI baseball coaching legend Harold “Whitey” Fell, to whom the field is named for, at 2 p.m. at home plate. Food and refreshments will be served after the service.
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