Bravehearts Welcome Alex Dion to 2018 Coaching Staff
Date: Feb 1, 2018
The Silver Knights didn’t start the second part of the season in the fashion they wanted, falling 6-1 to the Bristol Blues at Holman Stadium after a two-day All-Star break.
Still, Nashua manager B.J. Neverett said that the break didn’t play a role in the game’s outcome, rather Bristol’s starting pitcher, Michael Genaro, shut down the offense.
“Their (Bristol) pitcher pitched a heck of the game,” Neverett said. “Maybe he was real fresh too. We got two hits in six innings. He’s been tough on us. [He’s] not the kind of pitcher we’re probably gonna be good [scoring against].”
Cam Cook, one of Nashua’s three All-Stars, extended his 14-game hitting streak with three singles for one of the lone bright spots in the loss.
“He’s our MVP,” Neverett said of Cook, who is hitting .410. “He’s just been great. He gives a tough at bat and makes the pitcher work to get him out. He was definitely our most valuable player.”
Kyle Bonicki scored the only Silver Knights run in the fifth, when he homered to right field.
“Since I had that opposite field approach, I was just able to clear my hips and run into one,” said of his home run, the second he’s hit this season. “He (the Bristol starting pitcher) was mixing his pitches well [and] keeping us off balance. I was trying to stay closed and look for a pitch to drive the other way.”
Bonicki came close to another home run in the ninth, but the ball was caught just before the warning track in dead center field.
“Same thing -- [I was] just trying to look opposite field, something over the plate,” Bonicki said. “I knew that was the best pitch I was gonna get, so I got a pretty good swing on it.”
Throughout the game, stolen bases taxed the Silver Knights, although only two eventually came around to score. The Blues swiped seven bags total, including two in the sixth inning, when Bristol scored one.
In the eighth, Bristol threatened to add another, but a strong throw from Harry Roberson cut down the base runner at the plate.
“It’s not one single thing, but it’s a combination of everything,” Neverett said, when speaking about the stolen bases. “One guy had three stolen bases and he’s the league leader. We haven’t thrown him out and no one else has either.”
The Blues struck for their first five runs in the fifth. Mark Tumosa led off with a triple and later in the inning, Bristol collected three straight hits -- two singles and a triple -- to score three. After a pitching change to take starter Shane Kitilla out of the game, the Blues posted two walks and a single, giving the team a 5-0 lead.
“They had some timely hits,” Neverett said. “We didn’t get that first out on the ground ball and they had some timely hits. That’s what happens. We couldn’t get guys on tonight and we didn’t have any timely hits when they were on. They’re a very, very good team.”
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