Knights romp in Opening Night rout, 19-2

Determined to defy my snarky remarks about their inability to maintain a winning record in the Charlotte season preview, the Knights crashed through the season opening gate in bold fashion, trouncing the Durham Bulls, 19-2. If Charlotte just needs some snide comments to fuel a run rampage, I’m always willing to oblige.

Powered by an 11-run heater in the fourth inning that saw 15 batters come to the plate and every player in the lineup recording an RBI or run in the inning. Dru Baker, Drew Romo and Sam Antonacci all belted homers during the inning’s onslaught. Words truly can’t do justice to how crazy the run parade was, so it’s best just to watch the tape for yourself. Hopefully, they’ve saved some runs for April!

After the relentless fourth, the Knights decided to sprinkle a few more runs in the eighth. William Bergolla Jr., who quietly took three trips around the bases in the game, drove in two runs, and Murray delivered his second one-run, two-out homer of the evening. 

Another fun surprise was Noah Schultz coming out of the bullpen. Hagen Smith got the night started with three strong innings off the bump, allowing two hits and a run and earning four strikeouts. While his only run came off a homer run, Smith received four insurance runs by the time Noah Schultz replaced him. Schultz twirled a four-inning gem while notching five more strikeouts. This could end up being the unbeatable Tanner McDougal-Tyler Schweitzer combo seen in last year’s Birmingham Barons.

That left Brandon Eisert and Wikelman González with the easiest jobs ever, wrapping up a rout.