Knights head to final series

The Knights dropped another series in baseball last week, falling to Tulane but avoiding a sweep in their final game of the three-game series. But the momentum didn’t last long as they fell to Florida Atlantic Tuesday 4-3. Now they’ll be looking to turn it around in the final series before the Conference USA Tournament.

James Vasquez didn’t seem to take kindly to being beaned in the fourth inning after his second inning homerun against Florida Atlantic, so he hit another one out in the ninth. But the Knights’ electric comeback effort, which included an Austin Johnson double, fizzled when the next two batters popped out and struck out to end the game.

They’ll look to regain some of their fire with a final series before the postseason. The Knights (28-24, 12-9) have to travel to North Carolina to do it, facing off against East Carolina (28-23, 12-9), who they’ve yet to face this season.

The last time the two teams met, in the semifinal of the C-USA Tournament last season, the Knights trounced the Pirates in an 11-1 mercy rule blowout. The Knights would go on to win the tournament outright with a 6-2 win over Tulane.

East Carolina has been nipping at the heels of the Knights for weeks, as the Knights have struggled to stay above water in conference play.

The final series started at press time Thursday with game one. Game two is 6 p.m. Friday, followed by the finale at 11 a.m. Saturday, all in Greenville, N.C. After that it’s C-USA Tournament time, starting May 22 in Houston.