Derby Delight as Knights Win Two
The New Forest Knights bounced back from defeat in Cornwall with two wins at home to the Bournemouth Bears on Sunday. After a late scare from the weather, the Knights management team declared the game on and set the scene for a great day of baseball in New Milton. Game one saw Ben Coxhill excel on both sides of the ball as he turned an inning ending double play and hit the game winning single to see the Knights to a 16-15 win over their south coast rivals. On the mound Rhi McMah pitched the complete game for the home side, picking up three strikeouts and holding the Bears to a crucial scoreless fourth inning. The Aussie has now picked up two wins in two games for the New Forest team, already equalling her total from 2023. Alongside Coxhill and McMah, Marcus Senior added two hits, Eddie Donald hit a ground rule double to bring in two runs and Andy Bashforth picked up his first hit in the Knights’ green. With the AAA Thunder’s game cancelled, members of the team arrived from Bracknell just in time to see their clubmates walk off the first game in dramatic style. With two outs and two runners on base in the final inning, Coxhill stepped to the plate and drove the first pitch of the at bat through the infield to bring Jordan Snelling home and secure the Knights’ third win of the season. They didn’t have long to wait for the fourth either, as game two also went the way of the home team behind a strong performance from Chris Stickland. Pitching in his third game of the season, Stickland supported himself with the bat, picking up three hits and driving in a run as well as striking out two Bears’ batters. Roxie King also had a game to remember as she recorded her first hits as a Knight, driving in three runs in the process. In only her third week of British baseball, King also drew a walk and stole two bases during the game. After putting 14 runs on the board through the first three innings of the game, the Knights had a solid lead to defend heading into the final stretch. Stickland drew two pop ups to bring the Bears down to their final out of the game before a ground ball from their lead off hitter went straight back to the pitcher who threw to Dan Churchill at first base to end the game 14-11. The wins see the Knights move to 4-2 on the season ahead of the visit of the Taunton Muskets next Sunday. The Thunder hope to finally get their season underway at the Bristol Badgers.