Baseball: New Forest Thunder Knights in split result with Bournemouth Bears

SAM Williams continued the feel-good factor after his recent marriage to teammate Rozi Hathaway, by hitting his first-ever home run in last Sunday’s split result with the Bournemouth Bears.

Coming to bat in the second inning, Williams took a pitch high into the afternoon sun and over the outfield fence in left centre field as the Knights fought back from an 8-3 deficit to win game one 9-8.

As happened in the reverse fixture, the New Forest-based team fell behind early in game one, before showing excellent determination to fight back for the victory.

Alex Frampton picked up two hits, and Shaun Barrett, Mitch Sullivan and Marcus Senior all drove in runs during the comeback effort. Barrett hit a thumping double, showing off his improving approach at the plate as the perfect accompaniment to Williams’ home-run blast.

However, the game was won on the back of a two-inning relief pitching effort from Chris Lawson. With the scores close, Lawson struck out five batters while not giving up a hit – sealing the second tight win against the Bears in the space of three weeks.

The second game of the day saw the Bears rally and claim a 6-4 victory to earn the split on the back of powerful pitching.

However, it was another close game with a number of firsts for the away side. Amber Rainbird got herself on base for the first time, before stealing second. With the Knights bench providing their full support, Rainbird also picked up the player-of-the-day award.

Mack Wylde made his starting debut with a good showing as he drove in a run and looked solid in the field.

As always, Marcus Senior was solid on the mound, striking out six Bears and helping his own cause with a 100% on-base percentage off two hits and a walk. His 36 strikeouts see him currently sitting third in the national Single A rankings, with a full summer of baseball left to play.