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Knights End Inaugural Season at Braves Classic

George, Hunter and JD enjoy their time
in the show.

The Marietta Knights got a deserving reward with a parade around Turner Field to end their inaugural season. Although they lost a tough game earlier in the day to the Middle Georgia Tigers, the boys were all smiles as they paraded around Turner Field before the Braves vs. Astros game Saturday night. The Knights got a big cheer from their adoring fans above the CF wall and they earned at least one new fan behind home plate when a young lady gave a hearty "Go Knights!" as the team walked by. Of course, each of the kids tested out the padding on the outfield wall. It was a real treat to see the wide eyes of the boys as they made their way around the field, particularly when they came upon Brian McCann stretching in the outfield. Until JD shouted "I love you, Brian!" and then it just got kind of awkward. It was also a great sight seeing the team sitting together cheering on the Braves. The camaraderie and friendship created over a season of baseball was clearly evident and wonderful.

Sunday morning the Knights took the field for the final time to battled the Dublin Bulls, winner of the Triple Crown World Series in Myrtle Beach. The Knights played the Bulls tough but ultimately came up short losing 9-2. Back to back hits by Hunter Williamson and Garrett Wells gave the Knights an early 1-0 lead causing the Bulls to call on their ace who they had hoped to save for the championship game. There were two Defensive Players of the Game. JD Rinehimer was perfect at short stop with 5 assists. The thicket of infield grass caused balls to speed up, slow down and change directions but JD made it look easy by making great adjustments and laser throws to 1B. Tristan Herrera made 2 great plays stealing extra base hits in LF. On one he ranged back and towards center to haul in a deep line drive that appeared to be headed to the fence. The other was a looping line drive that Tristan lunged and scooped just above the grass. Coach Rob was very proud of the solid effort to end the season against a very good team. 

It was great seeing all the teams parade: The Marietta Knights, Knoxville Thunder,
Houston Astros...Astros? Hey, what's Javier Bracamonte doing in our parade!?

The 2012 Marietta Knights at the Atlanta Braves Baseball Academy

Explosive First Inning Powers Knights to Victory over the Braves

 

Gil Hastings went 2 for 2
with 2 RBI's

The Marietta Knights blasted their way to 7 runs in the first and cruised to an impressive 9-2 victory over the Atlanta Jr. Braves in the opening round of the Braves Youth Baseball Classic at the Atlanta Braves Baseball Academy. Gil Hastings led the way for the Knights' offense going 2 for 2 with 2 RBI's, 2 runs scored and 2 stolen bases. JD Rinehimer also had 2 hits and Patrick Reddick and Tristan Herrera each added an RBI double. Robby Bryan went the distance on the mound for the win with 9 strikeouts and no walks. The Knights also played great defense throughout the night. There were 3 defensive plays of the game. In the first, Catcher George Krivsky made a great hustle play to track down a foul fly ball to end the inning. In the second, after a Braves' baserunner got too agressive at 2B, Robby made a great pickoff move and threw to Hunter Williamson at 2B. The runner broke for third and Hunter threw a strike to JD Rinehimer who applied the tag for third out of the inning. In the third, it appeared that a Braves runner would score on a wild pitch, but Patrick Reddick scooped the ball at the backstop and flipped back to Robby covering who made the tag just before the Brave reached the plate. It was a great overall effort by the Knights and a well earned victory. The Knights will take on the Middle Georgia Tigers in the second round Saturday morning. 

George Krivsky turned in another solid
performance behind the plate

Jack second guesses his decision to sell the family cow for
a bag of magic beans.

Knights to Take Part in Post-Season Braves Youth Baseball Classic!

Your Marietta Knights are excited to be competing in the Braves Youth Baseball Classic August 3rd,4th and 5th at the Atlanta Braves Baseball Academy. After an awesome Summer break this tournament is a great opportunity for the Knights to get back together to have some fun and take the field one last time before going back to school and hitting the books the following week.

The beautiful Atlanta Braves Baseball Academy is in the Carver Community near Turner Field and opened in 2006. Each of the park's 4 fields is named for a player that helped fund it. The Knights will play on the John Smoltz Field. The other fields are named for Brian Jordan, Mike Hampton and Chipper Jones.

The schedule was announced Friday morning and includes 8 teams hailing from Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee. There will be 2 pools of 4 teams each. Every team will play the other 3 teams in their pool with the pool winners advancing to a Sunday evening championship game. Marietta will compete in a pool with the host Atlanta Junior Braves, the Middle Georgia Tigers (Eatonton) and the Dublin Bulls. The opposite pool includes the Knoxville Thunder, the Carroll County Lions, Georgia Crush (Hartwell) and the Carolina Magic (Lexington, SC).

As part of the tournament, the Knights are invited to walk the field at Turner Field prior to that Saturday night's Braves vs. Astros game and enjoy the game from the pavilion seats.

Braves Youth Baseball Classic Schedule:

Friday, August 3rd, 5:00 PM - Marietta Knights vs. Atlanta Junior Braves

Saturday, August 4th, 9:10 AM - Marietta Knights vs. Middle Georgia Tigers

Sunday, August 5th, 11:20 AM - Marietta Knights vs. Dublin Bulls  

Marietta Knights - Best Fans in the NABL

Marietta fans have travelled far and wide to follow their beloved Knights. The players and coaches appreciate the support of these loyal fans!

Ella and Lily Cheer on Big Game Hunter

King Watches Gil blast one into RF

Kate Loves the Stellar Play of her
Big Brothers

Ella and Rhodes watch Patrick steal another base

Knights Close Out Regular Season at Cartersville

The Marietta Knights played tough but came up short in their final 3 games of the regular season at the USSSA Champs Wear the Rings Tournament at Sugar Valley Park in Cartersville, Georgia. The Knights started strong carrying a 9-7 lead into the 6th inning in Game 1 against the Cobb Vipers before falling 16-9. Patrick Reddick and Gil Hastings each had 2 RBI's for Marietta and Hunter Williamson went 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored. On defense, Presley Field was perfect at 1B recording 13 of the Knights 18 putouts without an error. You can pick any one of the 13 as the Defensive Play of the Game. Presley finished the tournament with 19 putouts.

The Knights dropped game 2 to the Strike One Sports Slammers 10-6. Garrett Wells and Jack Rinehimer each scored 2 runs for the Knights. Jack had the Defensive Play of the Game, and perhaps the season, on a looping liner to left field. Jack ran hard back from his SS position and dove and stretched for the ball. Even as Jack was in the air it appeared that the ball would be out of reach, but somehow Jack snagged the ball just before he slammed to the outfield grass. After making the out call, the field umpire hummed the ESPN Sportscenter theme to the delight of the Knights' defense.

The worn out Knights were no match for the North Forsyth Bandits in game 3 as they fell 14-0. Presley and Patrick each stole 2 bases in the game. Jack once again had the Defensive Play of the Game when he hauled in a pop at short and doubled off a stealing Bandits baserunner. It was a tough final weekend, but the Knights were in high spirits after the game as they high fived, mugged for pictures with teammates and wished each other good summers.

Hawks top Knights 8-3 in rematch at the Barnyard

 

Upon arriving at the ballpark Big Game Hunter
said, "So this is playing in the farm system."

The Knights ended their NABL season with a tough 8-3 loss to the Hopewell Hawks at Thomas Field in Canton. The Knights gave up 5 unearned runs in the first and then held even with Hopewell for the rest of the game but couldn't overcome the early deficit. Their 0-2-1 record was good for 6th place in the league tournament. Big Game Hunter Williamson had another big day for the offense going 2 for 3 with an RBI, a run scored and 2 stolen bases.

Jack Rinehimer was great on the mound only giving up 1 unearned run in 2 2/3 innings. Jack struck out 2 and had 2 assists from the mound in addition to 1 from short stop. Catcher George Krivsky threw out a Hawks runner trying to steal third. Garrett Wells had a huge defensive day for Marietta recording 6 putouts at 3rd base including the Defensive Play of the Game that was worthy of Sports Center. A Hawks hitter hit a high foul ball that appeared to be headed out of play. Garrett ranged over, leapt and reached his glove just over the top of the 7' foot tall fence and snagged the ball with a loud clang as he hit the fence and pulled the ball back for a big out.

Jack Rinehimer was great on the mound giving up no earned runs
in 2 2/3 innings with 2 strikeouts.

 

The Knights were dissappointed to be knocked out of the tournament but they played good baseball and should be proud of their effort. The Knights will take Memorial Day weekend off before a return trip to Cartersville, Georgia for the USSSA Champs Wear the Rings Tournament on June 2.


Every game at Thomas Field begins with the playing of the National Anthem
(photo courtesy of Gib Hastings)

Knights tie Hawks in NABL Opener

 

The Marietta Knights earned an exciting and hard fought 6-6 tie with the Hopewell Hawks in the first round of the North Atlanta Baseball League Championship Tournament Saturday morning. JD Rinehimer gave the Knights great starting pitching striking out 5 in 4 innings of work. JD also stole home twice including the tying run in the 5th. Tristan Herrera provided the biggest offensive blow of the day with a big RBI triple. Robby Bryan took the mound with the game tied in the 5th and shut down the Hawks with 2 strike outs sending the game to a 1 inning "California Rules" overtime. Each team would start the inning with 1 out and a runner on 2nd. After the Knights failed to push their runner across, the Hawks got to put the winning run on 2nd. He immediately stole 3rd. Robby coaxed the batter into a flyball to short and struck out the final batter to preserve the tie. Robby's near perfect 1 2/3 innings of relief work and 4 strikeouts was the defensive performance of the game.

The Knights dropped game 2 to the Centennial Knights 7-3. JD and George Krivsky each had RBI hits. The Defensive Play of Game 2 came when Gil Hastings stole an extra base hit from a Centennial player when he snagged a hard line drive into RF. Gil made the play look routine but it was a very hard hit ball.

The Knights earned the #6 seed and are set for a rematch with the #3 seed Hopewell Hawks at 11AM Sunday morning.

Knights Late Rally Falls a Run Short against Express

The Marietta Knights played perhaps their most complete game of the season Monday night but fell 1 run short in a 9-8 loss to the Kennesaw Express at Larry Bell Park. The hard hitting Express came in riding high from their recent USSSA Phiten Challenge Tournament Championship. The Knights trailed 9-2 going into their final at bat but exploded for 6 runs to make it a 9-8 game forcing the Express to bring back their starting pitcher to stop the rally 1 run short. Marietta got another great pitching performance from Robby Bryan who went the distance and only allowed 3 earned runs to go along with 3 strikeouts and 0 walks. For the 2nd game in a row the Knights' defense was outstanding. Garrett Wells got things started with 2 long assists from 3B, each of which Presley Field closed with a big stretch and scoop. Gil Hastings was automatic once again in RF which was key against Kennesaw's big bats. Gil hauled in deep fly balls in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd innings. 

 

The Defensive Play of the Game came with 2 outs in the 4th and a runner on second. The Express hit a hard grounder headed for LF but Jack Rinehimer ranged to his right and made the backhand from his SS position. Knowing that he didn't have a chance at the batter and with his momentum carrying him towards 3B, Jack calmly fired to Garrett who laid the tag on the runner to end the inning. Great play athletically and mentally



Gil Hastings singled and had another huge game
in RF. In a strange turn of events, Gil was not
hit by a pitch in the game.

The Knights also had an unconventional double play via an Infield Fly. With one out and runners on 1st and 2nd Kennesaw hit a high flyball between P and 3B. The ump immediately called IF and the batter was out. But when Marietta let the ball drop, the Express runners took off even though the force was off. Coach Rob started shouting 1, 2 and 3 indiscriminantly. Luckily, Coach Kurt calmly told JD to tag both runners that were now standing on 2B and the inning was over. Coach Rob thinks this was a really great play but he's not certain because he's still not quite sure what happened.

JD Rinehimer and Hunter Williamson led the offense each going 2 for 3. JD scored twice and knocked in 2 while Hunter had 4 RBI's including the big 2 run double in the 5th that made it a 1 run game. In all 6 different Knights scored. It was a great effort by the Knights against a very strong Kennesaw Express ball club. The Knights' coaching staff is very pleased that the boys are playing well going into the NABL tournament this weekend.

Hunter Williamson was 2 for 3 with a Double and 4 RBI's



Jackets Get Past Knights at Shaw Park

The Sprayberry Jr. Jackets topped the Marietta Knights 13-2 Saturday evening at Shaw Park in a 6 inning, no time limit game. The Knights offense struggled all night and too many walks by the pitching staff kept the Knights out of the game. However, Marietta turned in their strongest defensive game of the season. Gil Hastings continued his strong performance in the outfield tracking down and hauling in 2 hard hit flyballs in right. The Knights picked off two Jackets base runners. In one of the defensive plays of the game, JD Rinehimer's deadly move to 2B claimed another victim after a perfectly executed run down involving 4 Knights. JD(P) threw to Jack Rinehimer(SS) covering second, who threw to Garrett Wells(3B) who threw to Hunter Williamson (2B) who threw back to JD who applied the tag at third. In the 3rd, Hunter threw to JD to pick off another runner at 2B. JD had the other defensive play of the night in the 4th when he fielded a hard hit ball at SS, touched 2nd and fired to first for a double play. Tristan Herrera recorded 6 putouts for the game. Marietta will be at home Monday night for a game with the Kennesaw Express before heading off to Woodstock next weekend for the NABL Tournament.

Knights Lose a Heartbreaker to the Strikers 13-0

The CC Strikers knocked the Knights out of the Champs Wear the Rings Tournament at Rudy York Field in Cartersville. The Strikers held the Knights to 0 runs on , let's see, 1 hit... that's all we got? One dadgum hit? Marietta will take on their cross town rivals the Sprayberry Jr. Jackets on Saturday evening at Shaw Park.

The Big Boys from the Strikers towered
over even the tallest Knights

Hunter wonders how we ended up with a
JV team on the schedule

Knights drop pool games in Cartersville

 

Garrett Wells holds a Hooks
runner at second.

The Marietta Knights lost their opening 2 games of the Champs Wear the Rings Tournament in Cartersville, Georgia. Game 1 was a 15-5 loss to the Crossroads Knights and game 2 was a 10-0 loss to the GPA Hooks. Marietta found a few positives in the 0-2 morning. Jack Rinehimer was busy in the field once again recording 2 assists and 5 putouts. That included the defensive play of Game 1 when Jack made a leaping catch of a line drive at short and beat a Crossroads baserunner back to 2nd for a double play.

Hunter Williamson was 2 for 2 on the day with a sacrifice, stole 5 bases and scored 3 of the Knights 5 runs. Hunter continued his great baserunning stealing home once on the catcher's throw back to the pitcher and also scoring once on a balk when he went half way coaxing the Crossroads pitcher to stop his motion during his delivery. Presley Field had 2 hits and 2 RBI's on the day and Gil Hastings had 2 hits and stole 2 bases.

  

Presley Field had 2 hits and 2 RBI's on the day.

The Knights also got very good defense out of the pitching position today. Patrick Reddick had 3 assists from the mound. Garrett Wells added 1 and Hunter added 1 and caught a fly ball off the mound. The defensive play of game 2 came when Hunter dove on a slow roller in the Bermuda Triangle of 1-2-P and tossed from his knees to Presley just ahead of the the Hooks' Joe Perry, Hunter and Presley's former teammate from the West Cobb Wolverines. Presley did a great job getting back to the bag on the tweener.


The Knights will try to build on those positives as they start bracket play tomorrow at 11a.m. The opponent will be determined later tonight.

 

P Red threw strong and recorded 3 assists from the mound

Slammers Get Past Knights 17-6

Presley Field Holds a Slammers
baserunner at first.

The Strike One Sports Slammers lived up to their name Monday night in a 17-6 victory against the Marietta Knights at Larry Bell Park. The Knights were somewhat shell shocked as the Slammers blasted line drive after line drive into the outfield off of some of the Knights' top pitchers. Slammers' pitchers also threw harder than any team the Knights have faced this season. On the plus side, the Knights got RBI hits from George Krivsky and Hunter Williamson. The tough man award for the night goes to Jack Rinehimer without question. In the 2nd inning, the fastest fastball that we have seen all season hit Jack solidly in the back. It was certainly the scariest HBP we've had this season (the 2nd scariest would be 2 batters later when Garrett Wells had the wind knocked out of him when he took an equally blazing heater in the back off of the same pitcher). Jack, like Garrett, refused a courtesy runner and stayed in the game. In the 4th, Jack was on the mound and was hit flush again with a low line drive. After the ball bounced off his leg, Jack recovered it and fired on to first for the out before crumpling to the ground in pain. Red shoes or not, Coach Rob will no longer call this tough guy Dorothy (But Nemo is still on the table). The Knights will have to regroup quickly as they travel to Cartersville for the USSSA Champs Wear the Rings Tournament this weekend.



Garrett Wells Mans Second Base

Knights Upset Southern Prospect

 

The Marietta Knights celebrate a hard fought, well earned
victory. And yes Forrest, it was definitely epic.

The Marietta Knights took out the Southern Prospect 9-4 Sunday evening at Larry Bell Park. It was a great game all around for Marietta who got outstanding starting pitching from Robby Bryan, big hitting from the entire lineup, a cold blooded save from little Jack Rinehimer and great defense throughout the game especially when it counted most.

Tristan Herrera set the defensive tone early recording all 3 outs of the 1st on 2 unassisted grounders and a pop fly at 1B. But with two hits Southern still took a 1-0 lead. JD Rinehimer got the Knights offense started once again. After a leadoff walk, JD stole 2nd and 3rd allowing him to score on a grounder to 3B. Without the benefit of a hit, the Knights knotted it at 1-1 after 1. Southern took a 2-1 lead in the 2nd thanks to their second triple of the game and held the Knights scoreless with a 1-2-3 inning.

The Prospect carried a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the 3rd when the Knights' bats came alive. Tristan led off with a double followed by a line drive single to RF off the bat of Gil Hastings. After a gut wrenching double play, the Knights still trailed 3-2 with Robby on 2B when Jack hit a single into the LCF gap. Southern's CF made a nice play to scoop the ball and fire it as Robby rounded 3rd. The Prospect made a perfect relay throw and the catcher blocked the plate and applied the tag. But when the dust settled the ball was sitting alone in the batter's box and Robby had one hand on the plate. 3-3 after 3.

Robby ended his night by sitting the Prospect down 1-2-3 in the 4th with 2 strikeouts. His final line, 4 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 K's and 1 BB. Patrick Reddick celebrated his birthday by knocking in Garrett Wells to give the Knights their first lead of the game. Presley Field knocked in Patrick and the Knights took a 5-3 lead into the 5th and called on Jack to try to protect the slim lead.

After a lead-off walk and an error Southern cut the lead to 5-4 and had the tying run on 2nd with no outs. With the runner on 2nd stealing, the batter hit a looping fly ball towards 3B. Garrett Wells made a lunging catch in foul territory and turned and threw a strike to 2B knowing that Hunter Williamson, his teammate dating back to their first season in the Shetland League, would be there. Double play. Southern put the tying run on once again with a 2 out single. The next batter hit a hard grounder to short that JD calmly scooped and tossed to Hunter at 2B to end the top of the 5th with the Knights clinging to a 5-4 lead.



With Apologies to Skip Carey,
KNIGHTS WIN! KNIGHTS WIN!
KNIGHTS WIN!

Although the dugout and bleachers were raucous, Knights' batters calmly added 4 insurance runs including a 2 run single from George Krivsky in the bottom of the 5th as time expired. Marietta Knights 9, Southern Prospect 4. Robby Bryan got the win and Jack Rinehimer got the save. It was a great win for the boys and their fans who have been incredibly supportive throughout the season. After taking this weekend off, the Knights will take on the Kennesaw Strike One Slammers at home on Monday, April 30th.



Garrett Wells had 2 RBI's

George Krivsky went 2 for 3
with an RBI

Although the Marietta Knights' bats were explosive at Centennial HS on Saturday, it was their defense that blew up in an 18-7 loss to the Centennial HS Jr. Knights. Knights' pitchers struggled to throw strikes while their fielders had problems with routine balls in play. Luckily, the Marietta offense had a strong day. Jack Rinehimer, Hunter Williamson and George Krivsky each went 2 for 3 to lead the Knights. Jack added 3 stolen bases and 2 runs. Hunter stole 5 bases, scored once and had an RBI and George brought in an RBI. Garrett Wells had 2 RBI's for Marietta. The Defensive Effort of the Game: Coach Rob made the questionable decision to put the team's youngest player on the mound with the bases loaded and only 1 out in the 4th. Jack answered by getting two outs on 3 pitches to get Marietta out of the inning. The Knights hope to bounce back against Southern Prospect at home on Sunday.

Knights Battle Titans to the Wire in Alpharetta

George Krivsky and Hunter Williamson
each had RBI hits to pace the Knights

The Marietta Knights went toe to toe with the mighty Alpharetta Titans Saturday afternoon at Wills Park before falling 12-7. The independent, Single A Knights were heavy underdogs to the AAA Titans who hail from one of the largest parks in Georgia.  


Marietta put 2 on the board in the top of the 1st on big hits from JD Rinehimer, Tristan Herrera and Garrett Wells. The lead evaporated quickly as the Titans' big bats and some suspect defense allowed Alpharetta to jump out to a 5-2 lead after 1. It looked like it would be a long evening. But the Knights closed the gap in the top of the second when George Krivsky hit a blast into CF that scored Presley Field from first. Despite getting bruised when Coach Rob smacked him a little too hard after the big hit, George was still able to take home moments later on a wild pitch to cut the lead to 5-4.

The bottom of the 2nd went 3 up and 3 down with a JD strikeout and big catches in the outfield by George and Presley. JD led off the 3rd with a single and stole 2nd, 3rd and home to tie the game at 5. With 2 outs, Hunter Williamson put the Knights back in front 6-5 with a big single to RF that scored Tristan. Alpharetta regained the lead for good with 2 runs each in the 3rd and 4th innings but great pitching by JD and several strong defensive plays allowed the Knights to stay close.



JD Rinehimer had a great day on the mound and at the plate
for the Knights

JD went the distance on the mound for the Knights, striking out 4 and only walking 1. JD threw a remarkable 76% strikes. He faced 24 batters and only threw 15 balls to go with 48 strikes. JD also went 3 for 3 at the plate with a 2B and 3 runs scored. There were 2 defensive plays of the game that both ended innings. In the 3rd, a Titans batter hit a hard line drive toward the RCF gap that looked to be at least a double until Jack Rinehimer went up the ladder and made a great catch at SS to rob the Titan of a hit. In the 4th, another Titan batter thought he had a big blast until Patrick Reddick snatched it out of the air in CF and fired back to 2B to double off the baserunner and get the Knights out of a jam.

Coach Rob was very proud of the team's effort in their most complete game of the season and accepted congratulations from several parents on his way to the post game meeting with the team. He expected to find the players equally excited about the way they played against the AAA Titans. However, when he met up with the players in the bullpen they were FURIOUS! There was no excitement, only anger that they'd lost. There was alot of talk about mistakes they had made and what they need to do better to get a win. Coach Rob was thrilled! The boys had no interest in a moral victory. He reminded the boys what a great game they'd played and told them he can't wait until next Saturday when he gets the take the field with these awesome kids again.

The Knights travel to Centennial High School in Roswell next Saturday to play the Centennial Jr. Knights. On Sunday, the Knights will host a double header with the Southern Prospects at Larry Bell Park.

Coyotes Outlast Knights at Bell Park

The Marietta Knights played their old friends the Cobb Coyotes tough on Monday night at home, but could not come up with the big hits they needed and ultimately fell short 7-1. The Knights got a great pitching performance from Robby Bryan who went the distance only allowing 1 Earned Run on 4 hits with 3 strike outs. Robby threw a season high 68.6% strikes. The Knights loaded the bases twice but were only able to scratch across a single run. Jack Rinehimer stole 4 bases on the night and Hunter Williamson swiped 2. Hunter and JD Rinehimer each hauled in 2 flyballs and Garrett Wells caught one to go along with an assist. The defensive play of the night came when Hunter made a sliding catch in foul territory to end the 4th with a runner in scoring position.

After the game Coach Rob noted how proud he is of this team's toughness. "We've seen alot of our opponents writhing around on the ground and alot of tears, but our guys just jump up, wave off the coaches and take their base." After taking a fastball in the ribs, Big Game Hunter had to pause a few steps into his jog to first, but he waved off Coach Rob and Coach David as he bent over to collect himself and quickly took his base. Meanwhile, Gil Hastings got beaned for the 5th time this season (new league record!) and took 1st without fanfare like he always does. This has been the Knights' way all season.

Nickname Change Notice: Jack Rinehimer will now be known as Dorothy after showing up last night in a brand new pair of bright red cleats. Jack was formerly known as Nemo for his habit of getting caught in the net when entering and leaving the batting cage. Although we may decide to stick with Nemo, every time Jack gets to first we will definitely encourage him to click his heels together and say, "there's no place like home!"

No Sign of the Lion or the Tin Man

Big Innings Doom Knights at FCA

The Marietta Knights were swept out of the FCA March to Victory on Saturday in Cumming. They lost the first game of the day 16-1 to the Cobb Coyotes and followed up with a 12-4 loss to the East Marietta Astros. The Knights got very good pitching from Patrick, Hunter, JD and Robby but were hurt once again by poor defensive play. Of the 28 runs scored, only 10 were earned. JD, George, Garrett and Robby all came through with RBI hits. The Knights turned two double plays in the Astros game. In the first, Jack hauled in a high pop fly at deep short and doubled off the runner at 3rd. In the 2nd Patrick caught a deep fly ball in center and threw a laser to third to catch the Astros runner trying to advance. The funniest moment of the day came after Patrick was called out at 3rd trying to stretch a double into a triple against the Coyotes. Coach Rob argued that the 3rd baseman did not make the tag. After the argument, the Coyotes' third baseman called timeout and said "but...I really didn't tag him." Unfortunately Patrick was still out. The Knights have two practices this week and then take two weekends off for Spring Break. We hope all the kids and families have a great break and come back ready to play some great baseball.

Knights fight hard, fall late to Spartans

The Marietta Knights put up a great fight against the Sharon Springs Silver Spartans but fell short 12-6 in the opening round of pool play at the FCA March to Victory Tournament in Cumming. Trailing 6-1 the Knights exploded for their best offensive inning of the season in the 3rd. After Tristan reached on an error, JD blasted a double into LCF. Jack followed with a hard 2 run single. After Patrick walked, Garrett knocked in Jack on a single and increased his team leading average to a scorching .455. Big Game Hunter then delivered a rope down the right field line scoring 2 and tying the game at 6-6. The Knights got great fan support as the game went down to the wire. Sadly, Marietta couldn't handle prosperity and the defense fell apart in the 4th as Sharon Springs pushed back out to a 12-6 win. The Knights got strong pitching from Robby, Jack and JD. The trio combined for a 64% strike to ball ratio and only walked one batter. The defensive play of the game came when Patrick chased down a wild pitch to the backstop. It appeared that the runner would score easily, but Patrick dove across the plate as the runner slid into his glove for the putout. It was immediately apparent once again how Patrick earned the nickname "Dirt." The Knights close out pool play against their old friends the Cobb Coyotes on Saturday at 1PM. They will be seeded for bracket play immediately following that game and will likely play again Saturday afternoon.

Knights' Gloves Shine, Bats Silent in loss to the Coyotes

The Marietta Knights lost their third straight NABL game Wednesday night to the Cobb Coyotes at Walton High School. The Knights offense struggled all night as Coyotes pitchers recorded 9 strikeouts. On the bright side, Jack Rinehimer went 2 for 3 with a double and a run scored and Hunter Williamson hit a 2 out, RBI single. JD Rinehimer demonstrated great base running by stealing home on a Coyotes pick off attempt to 1B.


3/14/12 The Knights take on the Cobb Coyotes at Walton HS.
(photo courtesy of Cobb Coyotes)

Meanwhile, the Knights turned in their most complete defensive game of the season. Jack was dominant on the mound throwing 2 scoreless innings, striking out 2 and only allowing 1 baserunner. 5 different players recorded putouts: Tristan Herrera (4), JD (3), Presley Field, George Krivsky and Gil Hastings. Hunter and Garrett Wells each added an assist. The Knights were errorless for the first time this season.

The Knights head to Johns Creek, Georgia on Saturday for a double header with the Georgia Warriors.

Hopewell Hawks Edge the Knights 11-7 in Milton

The Rinehimers prepare to make a big play.

The Hopewell Hawks got past the Marietta Knights 11-7 at Bell Memorial Park in Milton, Georgia on Sunday. Even in defeat, the Knights were able to take alot of positives away from the game. Robby Bryan got the Knights off to a great start throwing 7 strikes to only 3 balls in shutting down the Hawks 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 1st. Jack Rinehimer singled and later took home on a passed ball in the top of the 1st to give the Knights an early 1-0 lead. In the 2nd Garrett Wells hit a deep line drive into the RCF gap for an RBI triple and the Knights led 2-0. Hopewell put up 5 in the bottom of the second and never gave up the lead. The Knights fought hard throughout and never gave up. Patrick Reddick added a 2 RBI single in the 3rd and the Knights pulled to within a run twice, but ultimately could not overtake the Hawks. Marietta will take on the Cobb Coyotes in another NABL game on Wednesday night at Walton High School.

Knights to Open Season at Home Against the Alpharetta Titans

The Marietta Knights open the North Atlanta Baseball League Season Sunday at home against the Alpharetta Titans. J.D. Rinehimer will get the start for the Knights at Larry Bell Park in Marietta. Rinehimer was solid on the mound in 2 preseason scrimmages. The Titans are a very tough AAA squad from Wills Park and will be a great test for the Knights. The Knights Saturday doubleheader against Centennial was postponed due to heavy rains in the area and will be rescheduled soon.