 "Photo: Mike Balducci")
It took extra innings for the Knights baseball team to win the first game of their three game series with Memphis on Friday night, 5-4.
After a rough start in April, the Knights are finding their groove again, winning three games in a row.
After neither team produced runs in the ninth inning and with the game tied at 3-3, the Knights' offense capitalized on an opportunity in the 10th inning.
Ronnie Richardson and D.J. Hicks both pounded hits to lead off the inning. Jonathan Griffin followed with a sac fly that scored Richardson to make the score 4-3.
Chris Taladay and Ryan Breen both followed with hits and Derek Luciano provided the RBI that scored pinch-runner Kevin Vaquez, giving the Knights a 5-3 lead.
Joe Rogers (2-1) tossed the final three innings in the game, only allowing one run. The lefty forced Chad Zurcher, the nation's leading hitter, to ground into a game-ending double play with runners at the corners.
Knights starting pitcher Brian Adkins pitched seven innings, striking out four, and giving up three runs on four hits. The south paw has now started seven-straight games where he pitched at least six innings. The Friday-night start was Adkins' second of his career.
Catcher Beau Taylorcontinued to produce from the No. 9 spot in the lineup. Taylor went 2-for-4 with three RBI's, two of them coming off a two-run home run in the fifth inning
"It was a great night and everybody did their job, especially Adkins. He was amazing tonight," said Taylor in a press release. "Everybody has been fighting. We all know what's at stake, so we're not going to give up. (And hitting from the No. 9 hole) is comfortable. That home run was one of the first pitches I got on the inside part of the plate."
The Knights will continue their three game series with Memphis on Saturday. The two face off in their second game of the weekend at 3 p.m.
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