By Jim Stewart 

The Bolton Brewers' impressive six-game winning streak, during which they outscored NDBL opponents 74-15, was halted on Sunday by their nemesis:  the New Lowell Knights.

Last season's Strother Cup combatants squared off in their first meeting of the young season and the 2023 NDBL champs eked out an 8-7 win over the Brewers at the North Lowell Recreation Complex.

The Brewers' lineup stayed red hot top to bottom and churned out 14 hits versus the Knights.

Two-spot hitter Ben Sterritt went 4 for 4 with 3 RBI.  Lead-off man Brett Chater, 3-spot hitter Mike Wallace, and 8-spot hitter Nate Drury collected 2 knocks and one RBI each.

In the see-saw battle, the Knights took a 2-0 lead after one inning, but the Brewers struck back to tie the game at the top of the second.

New Lowell reclaimed the lead with two runs at the bottom of three, but the visitors responded with three at the top of four to lead 5-4. However, the champs roared back to plate four runs during the home half of the sixth to generate a three-run margin over their Senior Division rivals.

The Brewers' two-run rally stalled at the top of seven and the hometown Knights—not unlike a pesky mosquito – drew first blood in 2024 between the two premier clubs in the loop.

Prior to their first loss of the season, the Brewers defeated the Barrie Angels 7-1 at North Hill Park on Thursday night to complete a pristine 6-0 record in May.

Mateo Strothers earned the complete game victory by striking out eight Angels.

The Brewers led 6-1 after five innings. Bolton's offence was bolstered by Sterritt and Jack Lammar with two hits each.  Chris Fafalios drove in two runs to ground the Angels. Chater, Lammar, Arim Juarez, and Dalton Cooke collected one RBI each in the victory over Barrie.

Prior to the dismantling of the Angels, the Brewers swept a Sunday doubleheader from the Cubs in Mansfield. Player-Head Coach Mike Wallace spearheaded an 11-5 victory with 3 hits, 4 RBI, and 3 runs scored.

Chater continued his torrid 2024 season by collecting three more hits, including a home run, and the shortstop plated three times. The Brewers used a six-run third inning to subdue the home team. Jack Lammar pitched seven innings to earn the complete game W.  He struck out 5, but yielded 3 homeruns to the Cubs.

Chater went 3 for 4 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored to pace the Brewers to its 9-3 win over Mansfield in the first game of the twin bill. Marco DiRoma and Mario Accardo chipped in 3 hits each to back Nick Fiorocci's complete game on the bump. Fiorocci scattered 6 hits and struck out 9 Cubs. Bolton exploded for eight runs in the second inning to set the tone for the doubleheader versus their hosts.

After the setback to the first-place Knights (6-1-2), the second-place Brewers (6-1-0) look to get back to their winning ways versus the Midland Mariners on Thursday, June 6 at 7.30 at North Hill Park.