Brewers even NDBL Senior Final Series with emphatic 11-5 win over Knights at Taylor Fields

September 17, 2026 · 0 Comments

By Jim Stewart

The Bolton Brewers and New Lowell Knights have squared off in many memorable NDBL Senior Division playoff series over the last five years.

Based on Games 1 and 2 of this year’s NDBL finale, the 2026 championship series between second-place New Lowell and fifth-place Bolton promises to be yet another Summer Classic as two fine baseball teams vie for the Strother Cup.

After the Knights captured Game 1 on Saturday afternoon with a 6-1 win over their long-time rivals in New Lowell, the Brewers returned the favour on Sunday afternoon. Bolton, in quest of their eighth NDBL championship, jumped out to a 6-0 lead after two innings and coasted to an 11-5 victory at Taylor Fields.

Brewers’ starter Paul Cote was masterful in Game 2—delivering a 5+ inning performance during which he limited the Knights’ potent offence to two earned runs. Bolton player-coach Mike Wallace described Cote’s timely quality start: “It was absolutely needed. We needed a start like that. Paul’s pitched well for us all year, especially in a starting role. Today’s big win was another notch in the belt.”

Cote, who hails from Mexico and had a contingent of congenial compadres cheering him on from a blue tent beside Bolton’s third base dugout, gave his teammates credit for the crucial Game 2.

“I really want to give credit to the whole team. They played a great game today. They hit the ball really well and played great defense, and, as a pitcher, that support is huge. It makes a big difference when the guys are hitting and making plays behind you, so I definitely want to give them credit for that.”

Coach Wallace also gave his players credit for the timely hitting to which his starter alluded: “The Big Four came through and got it started at the bottom of the first when Brett Chater drew a walk. Ben Sterritt, Jack Larmer, and Justin Malanan hit consecutive singles. Amin Juarez and I were able to deliver two more RBI singles to score three runs. Sterritt drove in two more at the bottom of the fifth. That’s the key for us—obviously, it’s the hitting. We came in here today and had a great BP. The long layoff might have hurt us in Game 1.”

Cote concurred with his Head Coach on the impact of the layoff between the semifinals and finals on his teammates and their performance in Game 1.

“We were a little quiet offensively, but I think we were just a bit out of rhythm. We had two weeks off which might have been too long so I think everyone was still getting back into game mode. Today, we looked much more like ourselves—more awake, more comfortable.”

The savvy right-hander looked as comfortable as his teammates as he returned to the mound for the pivotal fifth inning to protect a 6-1 lead.

Cote delivered a crucial 1-2-3 inning by securing a swinging strikeout to start the fifth and he let Larmer secure the remaining two outs.

The Brewers’ agile third baseman sprung forward, picked a tricky hop off the turf on the run, and lofted a throw to Hickey at first for the second out.

Cote induced an inning-ending sky-high pop up to Larmer and described his mid-game strategy to keep New Lowell off-balance: “I felt comfortable enough to change my technique in the fifth. I started with more curveballs. They were expecting fastballs. I felt good in the fifth and I knew I was only going one more inning at most with Matteo ready in the bullpen. I have to be ready for my next start so I needed a quick inning.”

The comfort to which Cote alluded also manifested itself in the second inning.

Brewers’ hitters put three more on the board to chase New Lowell starter Jake Nicholson and increase the home side’s lead to 6-0. Coach Wallace described the sequence of events in Bolton’s second consecutive three-run uprising: “It was keyed by a great hustle play by Chater—his hustle forced them to hurry their throw and he reached on an error. Ben hit a single and Jack followed with a 2-RBI double. Josh Hickey came into the game and delivered an RBI single. Josh played a key role in the win. For him to fill in for Justin, who tweaked his calf and couldn’t go back out after delivering a hit and an RBI in the first inning, was big for us. Josh did a great job coming off the bench – getting an RBI single, then hitting a home run in the sixth, and making a big catch for us behind first base at the fence to end the top of the fourth.”

Hickey’s timely home run to lead off the bottom of the sixth answered a New Lowell three-run rally at the top of the inning, catalyzed by Chris Greer and Kurt Roy’s sacrifice fly RBI’s. Hickey’s shot over the right field fence off Knights’ reliever Chris Esson restored momentum to the home side. After Carson Burns followed Hickey’s homer by lashing a triple, the Brewers got an RBI single from Chris Fafalios to give his squad an 11-4 lead heading into the seventh inning.

Although the Knights responded with a windblown home run by Zach Hayward over the centre field fence off Brewers’ reliever Matteo Stothers, the veteran Bolton pitcher bore down to close out the win.

Stothers delivered a strikeout, sandwiched between two 6-3 groundouts completed by Chater and Hickey, to tie a bow on a series-evening victory on a radiant, mid-September afternoon.

The perennially-powerful Knights got the jump on the seven-time champion Brewers in Game 1 of the final series by sending Brandon “The Nemesis” Norrie to the mound on Saturday afternoon.

Norrie, who has been a thorn in the side of the Brewers during big games for years, threw a complete game five-hitter and struck out six Bolton batters to lead the Knights to their five-run decision in New Lowell.

Coach Wallace acknowledged the quality of Norrie’s performance: “The time off might have hurt us, but Norrie threw really well—he was able to throw his off-speed for strikes. You have to give credit where credit is due.”

Greer and Tristan Cabral paced the Knights’ offense by driving in two runs each. Cabral’s home run was the difference maker in the opener.

Bolton starter Carson Burns was saddled with the loss in Game 1. He struck out three Knights, but yielded five walks and seven hits in his six innings of work. However, Burns maintained his hot hitting ways during the playoffs. His base hit drove in the Brewers’ only run on Saturday. Sterritt—as consistent as a metronome in the two-spot for Bolton–raked two more hits in Game 1 and scored on Burns’s RBI single.

Collecting key hits and limiting walks will be keys to the Brewers’ success for the rest of the series, according to Wallace: “It’s going to come down to our hitters—we’re a good hitting team and we’ll have to continue to hit as we did today. It will also be about our pitching—we’ll have to avoid giving a team like the Knights free passes.”

Bolton will host New Lowell in Game 4 of the championship series on Thursday, September 17 at Taylor Fields.