LEXINGTON, Ky. – Nick Longhi blasted a two-run homer in the seventh inning to lead the High Point Rockers to a 5-2 win over the Lexington Legends on Friday afternoon at Legends Field. The Rockers are now 2-0 to start the season.
Longhi’s homer, his first as a Rocker, broke a 2-2 tie and came as part of a three-run seventh inning outburst.
Rockers’ reliever Taylor Guerrieri (W, 1-0) earned the victory with three innings of hitless relief. Guerrieri fanned five of the nine men he faced and did not allow a base runner. Lexington reliever Clinton Hollon (L, 0-1) was credited with the loss after allowing three runs in his lone inning of work. Lexington starter Aaron Perry struck out 12 hitters in six innings while High Point starter Kyle Barraclough went four innings, allowing five hits and striking out six. Austin Ross worked around a single in the ninth to earn the save for High Point.
Brian Parreira staked the Rockers to a 1-0 lead in the top of the third when he hit his first home run of the year. Luis Acevedo, making his first start as a Rocker, reached first on a dropped third strike and promptly stole second base. He advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on Ben Aklinski’s bloop single to right.
Lexington tied the game in the bottom of the fourth when Ryan January homered off Barraclough with Tristian Pompey aboard to tie the game at 2-2.
The Rockers put the game away with three runs in the top of the seventh. Ryan Grotjohn led off the inning with a walk, then Longhi hit a two-run homer to left center to make it a 4-2 game. Parreira then doubled into the rightfield corner and took third on an infield error by Lexington third baseman Jesus Tavarez. Acevedo then drew a walk before D.J. Burt hit a sac fly to center to score Parreira and give the Rockers a 5-2 lead.
The Rockers pitching staff retired 16 straight the fourth and ninth innings.
Game three of the four game series is set for a 7 o’clock start on Saturday at Legends Field.
NOTES: The Rockers are off to a 2-0 start for the second consecutive year… No previous Rockers team has won its first three games of the season… Ben Aklinski leads the Rockers with a .500 average after going 4-for-8 in the first two games . . . He is also the team leader with four RBI . . . Nick Longhit (4-for-9) is hitting .444 . . . Rockers pitchers have recorded 26 strikeouts in the first 18 innings while yielding just 15 hits and five walks.
