Tagged: Knights
Bats thwart the Knights
Louisville Bats vs. Charlotte Knights (International League)
Louisville Slugger Field-Louisville, KY: Finally our first Bats game of the season. It was a little cool, and we had some rain, but nothing that would spoil out fun. Back with our Sunday seats, also, which we’ve had for a few years now. It was also Mother’s Day, so there was the ‘pink’ theme to the games.
We had some free baseball from the get go, as the teams finished three innings of Saturday nights game that was suspended due to rain. The Knights beat the Bats 7-6 in this one, but Louisville would get revenge in game two, as that one would go extra innings.
Christian Colon lead the way for the Bats, going 3-4 with an RBI. Phillip Ervin added a pair of RBI’s of his own, as well as a run scored. Anthony Bass ended up with the win for Louisville, pitching the final 1.2 innings, including the 10th. In the bottom of the 10th, Stuart Turner earned a base on balls, scoring Ervin for the win. FINAL: Bats 5, Knights 4.
Good to be back at Slugger Field, we’d be back the follow week for more baseball and rain…
Photos property of Minoring In Baseball
Lego Land
Louisville Bats vs. Charlotte Knights (International League)
Louisville Slugger Field-Louisville, KY: Another gorgeous day here in the ‘Ville, and another Bats game for Brian and I to enjoy. Last weekend the Legos Play Ball Tour was in town for some fun. Brian was able to make some cool Lego vehicles and the kids had the chance to race them, also!
It was a fun way to spend the pre-game, and it kept us out of the heat. The kids were even able to make a baseball player out of Legos and take it home with them, which is cool. I’m sure soon, though, all the parts will just get thrown in his Lego bin.
On to the game, as we settled in our seats with our new free hats courtesy of the Bats.
Starting on the mound for the Louisville was Amir Garrett. He threw six and 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on six hits. He only walked two batters while striking out four. In the ninth inning, the Knights tagged relief pitcher Kevin Shackelford for a pair of runs to take the lead 4-2, but the Bats’ offense wasn’t done yet.
The Bats opened the scoring in the second inning, when Adrian Nieto’s double scored Eric Jagielo. Then in the sixth inning, a Hernan Iribarren double, wild pitch, and error allowed him to scored the tying run. Going into the bottom of the ninth down by two runs, the Bats battled back to load the bases. Four two-out singles scored three runs, including Phillip Ervin’s walk-off winner.
We had a lot of fun at this one, with a good combination of the Legos and the walk-off win. Brian had a good time, and was really into the game at the end, which makes it more fun for me, also. An added bonus was seeing former Louisville Cardinal Zach Burdi on the mound for the Knights, although he did leave the game after facing only a couple of batters for undisclosed reasons. Our next game will be in Cincinnati for my birthday, so that should be a good one!
Photos property of Minoring In Baseball
2013 Baseball Trip-Game 2: A beautiful Knight in Charlotte
Charlotte Knights vs. Pawtucket Red Sox (International League)
Knights Stadium-Fort Mill, SC: Well, it was a beautiful night in Fort Mill, anyway. The stadium is located just south of Charlotte. It was a Saturday game, so there was a really good crowd, and again it was good to see so many kids and families. It was also breast cancer awareness night, so the Knights were wearing their pink jerseys that were auctioned off after the game. The Knights had two mascots on hand, with Homer being the boy dragon, but I didn’t catch the name of the female one. The Charlotte Knights cheerleaders/dance team was also on hand, the lovely KnightinGals. Knights Stadium is nothing spectacular, but is good size for Triple-A. It’s a good walk up the stairs from the front row to the concourse. Some fans are excited by the new stadium being built downtown, but most feel it will bring higher prices for tickets and concessions. The current stadium isn’t that far from Charlotte, and has plenty of parking, so I think an upgrade would be better than a new one. We ended up moving from the front row to the upper deck to get a better view of the action, too. There’s not a bad seat in the house, but we love the upper deck. We met some great baseball fans in Charlotte, and it was a great night for baseball.
Hanging out with the lovely KnightinGals, the Knights dance/cheer team
The Knights were sporting their pink jerseys for breast cancer awareness
The game itself wasn’t much fun for the home town fans, but there seemed to plenty of Red Sox fans cheering the visitors. I guess the Nation really is expanded, because we met plenty of BoSox fans in both North and South Carolina. It was good to see former Whitecap Justin Henry play again, also, for the PawSox. He played in West Michigan back in 2007. Final score: Charlotte 0, PawSox 4.
Former West Michigan Whitecaps second baseman Justin Henry, now with the PawSox
We met some great baseball fans in Charlotte!
Photos property of Minoring In Baseball
Logo of the Month: Charlotte Knights
Location: Fort Mill, South Carolina
Home Field: Knights Stadium
League: International League
Affiliation: Chicago White Sox
Summary: This is actually a very cool logo, in my opinion. And during this coming seasons’ baseball trip, our second game on the schedule will be at Knights Stadium when the Knight take on the Pawtucket Red Sox. This will be my first time seeing both teams. We were in Pawtucket a couple of years ago, but the game was rained out. The team represents Charlotte, North Carolina, but the ballpark is located in one of its suburbs, Fort Mill, SC. From what I’ve read, the ballpark isn’t anything special, but a new one is being built as we speak in downtown Charlotte. There has been some opposition to this, and I’m not sure why, but the new stadium looks like it will be amazing. Too bad we’ll miss that one, but I’m sure we’ll have a great time seeing them this year, too. Baseball in Charlotte dates back to 1901, and the Charlotte Hornets (sound familiar?). The modern version of the team dates back to 1976, when famous wrestling promoter Jim Crocket, Jr. bought the team that was in Asheville, and brought them to town to become the Charlotte Orioles. They were then bought by the owner of the NBA Charlotte Hornets, and named the Knights. They have been in the original South Atlantic League, which became the Southern League, and then landed a Triple-A franchise in the International League. During their affiliation with Baltimore, the likes of Eddie Murray, Cal Ripken, Jr., and Curt Schilling played in Charlotte. During their stint with Cleveland, fans were able to watch young versions of Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome. The mascot is a Dragon named Homer, and I’ll do my best to get a photo with that guy. Charlotte looks like a great city, and I am really looking forward to our visit. There is so much else to see and do, also, including the Charlotte Motor Speedway and President Polk Memorial. P.S.: I know this is the second LoM this month, but if I’m going to get through all the teams before my trip, I’ll have to double some of them up!
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