Posted: Mar 02, 2020

Baseball: Knights Return Home After Southern Swing, O'Connor Picks Up First Win

Lenior, N.C. -- Knights baseball opened its season last weekend on the road with its annual southern swing, going 1-3 against Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute.

Essex began the trip on a high note, taking game one of the first day's double header 7-3.

It was head coach Sean O'Connor's first collegiate victory.

"It was good to watch the [student-athletes] execute the game plan and find a way to win, even in the bad conditions," O'Connor said, referring to the temperature being mid 30s at first pitch.

Caldwell got on the board in the bottom of the first inning on an Owen Fox RBI single.

The Knights evened things up at one in the top of the third inning, as JJ Erazo (Fivay) plated Yiesel Ur Alejo (Bayshore) with an RBI single.

CCBC Essex pulled away for good with three runs in the fourth inning.

Luis Gonzalez (Dundalk) had the big blast for the Knights, sending a 1-2 pitch over the fence for a three-run homer.

Essex put up three more runs in the fifth inning, led by Maxwell Jinjika's (Glastonbury) solo home run and Nicholas Berryman's (Keswick Christian) RBI single.

Rocco Marquez (Espacioa) earned the win for, surrendering two runs on three hits over four innings, while striking out one and walking one.

Malachi Garcia (East Lee County) and Alvin Carela (Archbishop Curley) came on in relief and combined for one earned run on two hits over the final two innings.

Carela recorded the last four outs to earn the save.

Essex collected nine hits on the day, led by Devin Johnson (Providence) and Lucas Carr (Franklin) who each had two.

The nightcap of day one saw the Knights and Cobras combine to leave 24 runners on base – each.

With the game tied at four in the bottom of the sixth, Caldwell's Michael Logan began the scoring in a four-run inning with an RBI double.

CCBC Essex went down in order in the seventh, falling 8-4.

Jonathan Wancowicz (Hereford) took the loss for the Knights, allowing four runs on one hit and striking out one over one-inning of work.

Liam Bowers (Bel Air) finished 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.

Ur Alejo had a pinch-hit, two-run single in the sixth.

Travel Day Blues

Saturday was not very kind to the Knights, as they were swept by Caldwell 23-1 and 11-3, respectively.

The Knights struggled to put runs on the board and had a tough time on the mound and defensively containing Caldwell.

Essex's pitchers combined to allow 22 earned runs and walk 18 batters in the double header.

When the ball was put in play, the Knights defense had a tough time, committing eight errors in two games.

Knights' hitters did not fare much better, as they managed just four runs on four hits total in the twin bill.

But according to O'Connor, the trip was a learning experience for all involved.

"We got to see how we were going to play in bad conditions, we got to see guys in different spots, and it gives us something to work on this week at practice."

Next up

The Knights are scheduled to travel to western Baltimore County tomorrow to face intracampus rival CCBC Catonsville. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.