Joel Bennett knows all too well the precarious nature of life in the minor leagues. One day you’re on top, and the next, you’re looking for work.

In the space of 24 hours, Bennett went from being a top farmhand in the Boston Red Sox organization to a free agent ballplayer looking for a team, any team, that would give him a chance.

The 26-year-old righthanded pitcher found that chance with the Newburgh (N.Y.) Night Hawks of the independent Northeast League as they signed him the day before the season began.

Over the weekend, the New York native was back in New England, although not under circumstances he would have preferred. Instead of playing at Fenway Park, he watched his teammates split a four-game series with the Bangor Blue Ox at Mahaney Diamond.

“As far as being here and playing here, this isn’t what it’s all about,” said Bennett during pregame warmups. “I’m looking to move on. I’m going to do what I can while I’m here, but I’m looking to get out of here.”

His eagerness to move on is understandable, given the 1991 Red Sox 21st-round draft pick made it onto their 40-man roster last year after enjoying great seasons in single-A and double-A in 1993 and ’94 only to be released this spring.

“It was very frustrating – getting released and really having no reason. I didn’t know why,” Bennett said. “They told me they didn’t have any plans for me.”

Bennett said he was told Boston had young kids they were pushing, while Class AAA and the majors were loaded with free agents and there was no place for him to go.

“I don’t know what more I could have done. They signed a lot of free agents and a lot of guys who’d been with them for years working hard just got pushed aside.”

Bennett, who is 2-0 with a 0.56 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 16 innings, didn’t pitch against Bangor as his turn in the five-man rotation didn’t come up. But he’s helping Newburgh in other ways on his off days.

“Not only does he do a lot of things for us on the field when he’s pitching, but in between starts, he does a good job working with the younger pitchers – teaching them about pitches and pitch selection,” said Hawks manager Dan Shwam.

“We’re really fortunate to have a kid like Joel,” added Shwam. “That was a real good pickup for us… probably the best pickup of the year for us… probably the best pickup in two years for us.”

At Class A Lynchburg (N.C.) in 1993, Bennett went 7-12 with a 3.83 ERA and 221 strikeouts.

“That was my best year,” Bennett said. “I led the minor leagues in strikeouts and I think the only two people in pro ball who had more strikeouts than me were Jose Rijo and Randy Johnson.”

In 1994, he was 11-7 with a 4.05 ERA at double-A New Britain (Conn.). It was then he got his first taste of Maine as he played at Portland against the Sea Dogs.

A graduate of East Stroudsburg (Pa.) State College, where he majored in physical education, Bennett would eventually like to coach, either in the minors or in college.

But for now, Bennett is biding his time, hoping someone gives him a second chance the big leagues.

“There’s a lot of jobs out there and I know there are shoes out there I could fill. I know I can pitch in the big leagues. It’s just a matter of giving me a shot.”

Monday night was KidsPeace New England night at the ballpark as the Blue Ox honored the organization that shelters, treats, and educates children with special needs including, but not limited to, those who have been abused or neglected.

Adam French, whose mother works at the four-year-old Ellsworth KidsPeace center, threw out the first pitch, a semi-curve that caught the outside corner for a strike.

Ellsworth’s KidsPeace campus is one of many across the country set up by Kids Peace National Centers for Kids in Crisis, based in Pennsylvania.

The promotional night came about after KidsPeace members contacted the Blue Ox.

The Newburgh Night Hawks were without one of their biggest weapons when they arrived in Bangor Friday: 1995 Northeast League MVP Hugh Walker, who batted .362 with 13 homers, 56 RBIs, and 25 steals.

The 26-year-old Walker decided to retire from baseball after the last game of the team’s season-opening homestand June 9.

“He came into camp and struggled and said his heart wasn’t in it. So after our last game at home, he decided to retire and go back to school,” said Shwam.

“He didn’t feel he was going anywhere,” Shwam explained. “He has a wife and two kids, so he thought he was at the age he needed to make a decision. I think overall, it got to the point where he was having to think about his life in the future.”

He has only seen five of the league’s six teams so far, but Shwam is convinced that the overall quality of play in the Northeast league is much better than last year’s.

“By far it’s a more balanced league. Even Rhode Island has brought some things to the table where there were two teams last year that didn’t bring anything ,” he explained. “So overall, I really think that the league is much better, especially in terms of pitching.

Last year, Shwam managed the Mohawk Valley Landsharks to a second-place finish (47-23) in the league.

“One thing this league doesn’t have is a lot of power. There are a lot of singles and doubles hitters, but it’s a lot more competitive,” Shwam added.