Baseball sweeps rival Holyoke for 12th win in last 13 games

04/09/2023

Anchored by complete games from freshmen Nate Kelly (Lincoln, RI), Calvin Battersby (West Warwick, RI), and Dayton Van Amberg (Warren, RI), the Community College of Rhode Island baseball team won three consecutive games against rival Holyoke Community College to remain undefeated in Region XXI.

The Knights beat Holyoke 2-1 on Thursday at Whitey Fell Field in Warwick and swept a doubleheader Saturday on the road at Holyoke by scores of 4-0 and 19-1. They’ve now won 12 of their last 13 games and are 13-9 overall, including an impressive 9-0 record against regional competition.

Kelly scattered five hits over nine innings with five strikeouts and no walks in Thursday’s win and the Knights won it in the bottom of the eighth courtesy of a sacrifice fly from freshman catcher Josh Lincourt (North Kingstown, RI).

In Game 1 of Saturday’s doubleheader, freshman third baseman Noah Cook (Cranston, RI) drove in a pair of runs while Battersby limited Holyoke to one hit over seven innings while striking out 10 to improve to 2-2 on the season.

The Knights exploded offensively in Game 2, scoring 10 runs in the top of the fourth inning and five more in the fifth to invoke the mercy rule after five innings. Sophomore co-captain and second baseman Caleb Harris (Cranston, RI) finished 2-for-2, drove in five runs, scored three, and walked three times while Lincourt finished 3-for-5 with four RBI. Van Amberg struck out five over five innings and allowed just one earned run on eight hits.

At 9-0 in the region, the Knights are tied with reigning Region XXI champion Northern Essex, the No. 8-ranked team in the nation, heading into a critical three-game stretch against Northern Essex beginning with 3:30 pm Thursday showdown at Whitey Fell Field followed by a Saturday doubleheader on the road at 2 and 5 pm.  

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