by Alex Carmenaty
The 11U Camelot Knights came ready to play the GameDay USA Tournament at Newbridge Park in Bellmore as they won 16-1 against the Whitestone Renegades. The game was called after the 5th inning due to the mercy rule.
The Knights started off strong as Isaiah Marino started the game with a base hit and then Vincenzo Buffalino drove him in with an RBI Triple. The Knights would go on to scored 3 runs in that innings and then continued the rampage on from there, scoring 13 runs after the early start.
Marino was definitely the player of the game as he pulled off a true little league act. In the top of the third, Marino hit a 2-run inside-the-park home run, making the lead 8-0.
“I feel like I played good as I made a great play, continuing the lead.” Marino said when asked about the way he played.
The defense for the Knights also had a big role, keeping the Renegades off the board for four consecutive innings, allowing 2 base runners as they had a combined no-hitter through 4 innings with three pitchers. This had taken place before it was broken up by a bloop single in the infield later on in the game.
It wasn’t until the bottom of the 5th, with two outs, where the Renegades got on the board by capitalizing on a wild pitch. Besides that, it was a tough day for the Renegades as they only had five base runners the entire game. They were retired in eight straight at bats to start the game, for 2.2 innings.
Before entering this game, the Renegades had finished a game with the Utica Hurricanes. The Renegades had a 5-1 lead, but ended up finishing up the game with a tie, 5-5, as the Hurricanes scored 4 unanswered to make it a tie.
The Knights take this game in dominating fashion, gaining some momentum early. They look to continue their play as they currently face the Hurricanes, looking for a second straight win to begin the tournament.
