Chris Whitesell, Author at High Point Rockers Baseball

HIGH POINT ROCKERS vs. Lancaster Barnstormers

April 26, 2022 by Chris Whitesell

HIGH POINT, N.C. – High Point’s Quincy Latimore lined a broken-bat single to left field with two outs in the tenth inning to give the Rockers a 5-4 win over the Lancaster Barnstormers on Tuesday night at Truist Point.

The inning started with Ben Aklinski on second after he had struck out to end the ninth. With Scott Shuman on the mound for Lancaster, hitting 96 MPH on his fastball, Johnny Field flew out to right before Michael Russell drew a walk. Shuman struck out Jerry Downs on three pitches for the second out. Latimore battled Shuman to a 1-2 count before lining the ball to left in front of Anderson Feliz. The speedy Aklinski scored from second without a throw.

at Truist Point on April 21, 2022 in High Point, North Carolina. (Brian Westerholt/Four Seam Images)

“Q just battled,” said Rockers manager Jamie Keefe. “Shuman threw the heck out of the ball. But Q got a ball up in the zone and when you put the bat on the ball, good things happen.”

Chasen Bradford (1-0) earned the win for the Rockers as he set down the Barnstormers in order in the top of the 10^th. Shuman (0-1) took the loss for Lancaster.

High Point starter Jheyson Manzueta, making his first start of the season, went 5.1 innings and allowed just four hits and one run while striking out six but came away with no decision. He left the game with a 3-1 lead.

“Manzueta was outstanding tonight,” said Rockers manager Jamie Keefe. “We had a little hiccup in the middle with the bullpen but the back end tightened up and helped us get the win.”

The hiccup was a rare sub-par performance from reliever Ryan Dull. Lancaster got to Dull for three runs in the eighth to erase a 3-1 deficit and take a 4-3 lead. After a lead-off walk to Trace Loehr, Dull gave up a single to Feliz to put runners at first and third. Colton Shaver then singled to drive in Loehr before Kelly Dugan doubled to score Feliz. Mark Zagunis grounded out to third to plate Shaver and give the ‘Stormers their first lead of the night.

The Rockers had taken a 1-0 lead with a run in the bottom of the first. Field started with a single and moved to second when it was misplayed in left by Feliz. A Downs single moved Field to third from where he scored on an infield ground out by Latimore.

The Rockers added two more in the second. After a lead-off walk to Zander Wiel, Mike Gulino drew a walk to put runners on first and second. But Gulino was picked off when an apparent wild pitch bounced back to Lancaster pitcher Cameron Gann who was able to retire Gulino at third. Aklinski then doubled to score Wiel and Field followed with another double to plate Aklinski.

The Barnstormers got on the board for the first time in the sixth when Feliz singled and moved to second when Shaver was hit by a pitch. Keefe removed Manzueta and went with Joe Johnson. Johnson walked Dugan to load the bases before Zagunis lifted a fly ball to center that brought Feliz into score.

The win leaves the Rockers at 3-2 for the season while Lancaster falls to 1-4.

The Rockers will continue their week-long homestand, hosting Lancaster again on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Truist Point.

Rockers Slam Genomes, 7-2

April 24, 2022 by Chris Whitesell

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point Rockers limited the Kentucky Geomes to three hits on Sunday afternoon as High Point scored a 7-2 win in front of 1,996 fans at Truist Point. The win gives the Rockers a split in the four-game series with Kentucky.

High Point tallied three unearned runs in the first before Jerry Downs blasted a three-run homer in the second as the Rockers took a quick 6-0 lead.

“We learned a few things this weekend,” said Rockers manager Jamie Keefe. “We know we need to swing the bats better. We need to get into more hitter’s counts. But we know that we can pitch and we know that we can play defense and with those things, that will keep us in a lot of games. The bats will come around and we’ll be fine.”

The Rockers scored three runs in the bottom of the first, all unearned against Kentucky starter Aaron Blair. With one out, Michael Russell’s ground ball to third was fielded cleanly by Luke Becker but his throw to first sailed over Carson McCurdy’s head. A walk to Downs put runners on first and second before Blair struck out Quincy Latimore for the second out. Zander Wiel then lined a double off the wall in right-center, scoring Russell and Downs. Ben Aklinski followed with a sharp single to left to plate Wiel and give the Rockers a 3-0 lead.

High Point added another three runs in the second. After Blair hit Johnny Field and Mike Gulino with pitches, Downs cleared the bases with a three-run shot to right-center and stake the Rockers to a 6-0 lead.

Kentucky got on the board in the fourth when Riley Mahan walked and scored from first on a double by Felix Pie.

The Genomes tallied a run in the eighth when High Point reliever Adam Choplick walked three and hit a batter with Cleuluis Rondon getting an RBI after receiving a free pass.

High Point’s final run came in the ninth when Gulino singled to left, moved to second on a wild pitch by Kentucky reliever Andrew Keefer, moved to third on an infield groundout by Jay Gonzalez then scored on another Keefer wild pitch.

Downs finished the game with three RBI while Wiel had two hits as did Ben Aklinski and Gulino. Kentucky’s hits came off the bats of Pie, Chris Shaw and Becker.

Neil Uskali (1-0) earned the win with five innings of work in which he allowed two hits while walking two and fanning two. Four relievers limited the Genomes to one hit while striking out five. Blair took the loss for the Genomes, allowing four hits and six runs in two innings of work.

The Rockers will have Monday off before starting a three-game series with the Lancaster Barnstormers on Tuesday, April 26, at 6:35 p.m. at Truist Point.

RECAP: Kentucky Genomes 3, High Point Rockers 1

April 23, 2022 by Chris Whitesell

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point Rockers managed just six hits in dropping a 3-1 decision to the Kentucky Genomes Saturday night in front of 2,415 fans at Truist Point.

“Our pitching was really good,” said Rockers manager Jamie Keefe. “We just need better at-bats. We need to barrel up some balls. Our guys have been here less than two weeks and it’s Day Three of the season so I’m not ready to push the panic button. We just need to put the ball in play more and we’ll be fine.”

The Rockers were three-hit on Friday night and with six hits on Saturday, have just nine hits over the last 19 innings.

The Genomes jumped on Rocker starter Brady Lail for a run in the first. With one out, Demetrius Moorer reached on an error before he moved to second on a single by Riley Mahan and then scored on a single by Chris Shaw. Another single by Felix Pie loaded the bases but Cleuluis Rondon bounced into a double play to end the threat.

Lail went six innings and walked one while striking out six. After giving up three hits in the first, he held the Genomes to just two more safeties over the next five innings.

The Rockers put two runners on base in the first, third and fifth innings but were not able to capitalize on any of the opportunities.

Kentucky starter Max Povse, the former Rocker, allowed just two hits in his five innings, yielding a double to Jay Gonzalez in the third and a single to Chris Proctor in the fifth. Nate Peden, Jhonathon Ramos and Tim Peterson each threw shutout innings in relief of Povse.

The score remained 1-0 until the seventh when Kentucky’s Luke Becker reached on a passed ball that was scored as a base hit. Rockers reliever Jonathon Crawford then loaded the bases by walking Robbie Kellerman and hitting Andrew Keefer with a pitch. Anderson Miller then lifted a sacrifice fly to center that scored Becker for a 2-0 Kentucky advantage.

The Genomes added another run in the ninth when Moorer reached on an infield single, moved to third on a single by Riley Mahan and scored on Chris Shaw’s sacrifice fly.

The Rockers tallied their lone run of the game when Miles Williams hit a ground rule double with one out in the ninth, move to third on a balk by Kentucky reliever Diego Moreno, and scored on an infield single by Jay Gonzalez.

Lail (0-1) took the loss and Povse (1-0) got the win. Moreno earned his first save of the season.

The Rockers and Genomes will play the final contest of the four-game series on Sunday afternoon at 4:05 p.m. at Truist Point.

Kentucky Genomes 2, HIGH POINT ROCKERS 1 (10)

April 22, 2022 by Chris Whitesell

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Six Kentucky pitchers held High Point to just three hits on Friday night as the Genomes took a 2-1 victory from the Rockers in 10 innings in front of 2,324 fans at Truist Point.

The Genomes did not allow a High Point hit after the second inning until there were two outs in the ninth.

Quincy Latimore staked the Rockers to a 1-0 lead with a two-out solo homer to left off Genomes starter Elih Villanueva in the second.

Kentucky tied the game at 1-1 in the sixth when Riley Mahan hammered a line drive homer over the right field fence off High Point starter Cooper Casad.

Villanueva threw five innings, yielded just two hits, walked one and struck out five before leaving for Josh Martin before the top of the sixth. Villanueva retired the last seven hitters he faced. Casad went six innings and did not issue a walk while giving up five hits and striking out six. The only run he allowed was Mahan’s sixth inning homer.

The game remained deadlocked as each team’s bullpen locked down the other’s offense. Neither team was able to get a runner to second base over the seventh, eighth and ninth innings.

With two outs in the ninth, Michael Russell singled softly to center, marking the Rockers’ first base hit since Latimore’s homer in the second.

In the tenth, with Cleuluis Rondon starting the inning at second, Luke Becker’s sacrifice bunt moved him to third. Chase Vallot smashed a one-hopper at third baseman Zander Wiel who tried to tag Rondon but was ruled to have missed. Andrew Keefer singled to right to bring home Rondon with the go-ahead run.

The Rockers went down in order against Jack Weinberger in the 10th as he earned the save.

Besides Latimore’s homer in the second and Russell’s single in the ninth, High Point’s only other hit came in the first when Russell added a two-out single.

High Point’s Austin Glorius (1-1) took the loss while Kentucky’s Diego Moreno earned the win by pitching the ninth inning and allowing one hit while getting one strikeout. Glorius allowed two hits and recorded a pair of strikeouts in his lone inning of work.

The Rockers continue their homestand on Saturday night with the third of four games against the Genomes. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 at Truist Point.

Rockers Map Genomes, Triumph 10-5

April 21, 2022 by Chris Whitesell

HIGH POINT ROCKERS 10, Kentucky Wild Health Genomes 5 Game Recap Thursday, April 21, 2022

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point Rockers spoiled the debut of the Kentucky Wild Health Genomes, overcoming a 5-0 deficit in the sixth inning and rolling to a 10-5 win on Thursday night in front of an Opening Night crowd of 2,591 at Truist Point.

The Rockers closed the game in remarkable fashion as four Rocker pitchers struck out the final 10 Genome hitters of the game. High Point pitchers mapped the code, striking out a total of 16 Genomes on the night while walking just two.

“To score six runs with two outs (in the sixth inning) was pretty good,” said Rockers manager Jamie Keefe. When asked if he had ever seen a team end a game by striking out 10 straight opponents, he replied “Never. The back end of the bullpen threw the ball really well. If they keep that up, there are some teams that will have some long nights.”

Austin Glorius earned the win, facing just one batter, Carson McCurdy, and striking him out to end the sixth. That whiff started the Rockers’ K train and was the first of 10 straight strikeouts. Lefty Bryce Hensley fanned all three hitters he faced in the seventh, lefty Adam Choplick did the same in the eighth and closer Jonathon Crawford recorded three more consecutive strikeouts in the ninth to finish the game.

The Genomes got on the board first when catcher Chase Vallot sent a Justin Nicolino offering over the left field fence with Cleuluis Rondon aboard for a 2-0 lead.

Kentucky starter Dustin Beggs quieted the Rockers bats through five, allowing just two hits while striking out six and not allowing a walk. Nicolino was nearly as good, allowing just three hits through 4.2 innings while walking one and striking out six. But Nicolino made two bad pitches: the home run to Vallot and a one out triple in the fifth to Demetrius Moorer who would score on a Riley Mahan single to increase Kentucky’s lead to 3-0. The Genomes extended the lead with two more runs in the top of the sixth, using a sacrifice fly from Luke Becker and an RBI double from Vallot to go up 5-0.

The Rockers blew up for six ruins in the bottom of the sixth, all with two outs, while stringing together three hits and capitalized on a pair of errors on Becker, the Genomes third baseman. With one out, Logan Morrison and Jerry Downs drew consecutive walks off reliever Robby Scott. A Tyler Ladendorf single loaded the bases before Scott fanned Quincy Latimore for the second out of the inning. High Point’s Mike Gulino greeted Genomes reliever Jack Weinberger with a slow chopper to third that Becker fielded cleanly but threw wide of first, allowing Morrison and Downs to score and Gulino to move to third. Weinberger then hit Ben Aklinski with a pitch to put runners on the corners. Johnny Field slapped a ground ball to Becker who again threw the ball in the dirt, allowing Gulino and Aklinski to score and give the Rockers their first lead of the night at 6-5.

High Point added four more runs in the seventh. Ladendorf laced a one-out single and Latimore followed with a run-scoring double. Gulino then blooped a single to center to plate Latimore before Aklinski drilled a two-run homer to right to lift the Rockers to a 10-5 advantage.

On the night, the Rockers were led by Gulino with three hits while Zander Wiel had a pair of RBI and Aklinski finished with two hits and two RBI. The bottom third of High Point’s order, Wiel, Gulino and Aklinski, went six-for-11 and drove in five runs.

The Rockers continue on their 13-game season-opening homestand as they host Kentucky again on Friday at 6:35 p.m. at Truist Point. Fans will be entertained with a postgame fireworks show.

Impulse Exhibit

April 13, 2022 by Chris Whitesell

HIGH POINT, NC (April 11, 2022) — High Point will welcome an interactive public art display of 15 illuminated seesaws in time for the High Point Rockers first game of the 2022 season on April 21st. The international exhibit, Impulse, will provide a light and sound experience through user engagement. Initially launched in Montreal’s Quartier des Spectacles, Impulse has traveled to cities such as London, Chicago, Boston, New York City as well as a host of other locations around the globe. Most recently, the exhibit created by Lateral Office and CS design will be traveling from Charlotte, NC, leading up to the 18- day installation from April 21st to May 8th at Truist Point Stadium.

“As we are rejoicing in more event experiences approaching the endemic, Impulse is a welcome celebration for children and adults to just play,” says Visit High Point President Melody Burnett. “When public art is fully interactive, like Impulse, you have an elevated level of experience, and what better place to enjoy than Truist Point Stadium, home of our High Point Rockers.”

High Point Rockers will be playing 13 home games during the 18-day stretch of the exhibit. “Our brand hinges on the family experience, so we provide packaging through many of our events and game experience. Impulse will kick off an exciting opening to our Rockers season that be definitely be memorable,” said Pete Fisch, president of High Point Rockers.

Recently retired Forward High Point President, Ray Gibbs, met the Creos team at a conference in 2019 and made that connection for High Point. Creos produces an array of interactive exhibit tours including Impulse.

“When I first met Creos and saw their interactive art displays, I thought they would be perfect for High Point. We are an international city, with high design value. It would provide a perfect link between our visitors and citizens,” said Gibbs.

Impulse was originally scheduled to arrive during the 2020 Fall High Point Market, but the exhibit was rescheduled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Burnett says that the installation is much anticipated for this spring as there are numerous collaborators, sponsors, donors, grants, and volunteers that have helped make this a reality, including Forward High Point, DRIVE High Point Foundation, High Point Market

Authority, Visit High Point, City of High Point, Congdon Yards, High Point Rockers, and Bill and Candy Fenn.

Kids and adults can enjoy Impulse along the concourse at Truist Point from April 21st – May 8th. The exhibit is free and open to the public on April 25, May 2, May 6, May 7, and May 8. All other dates are during the High Point Rockers home games. Please check times for availability. Those interested can visit these supporting websites for specific dates and times to enjoy Impulse:
High Point Rockers https://www.highpointrockers.com/truist-point ,
Forward High Point site at https://downtownhighpoint.org/
High Point Events Calendar at https://visithighpoint.com/calendar/.

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About Impulse:
Impulse is an interactive light and sound experience. It consists of a set of large seesaws who light intensity and musical tones change when set in motion by visitors. This work creates an ephemeral and ever-changing field as the public plays with this urban instrument. Impulse embodies ideals of serialism, repetition, and variation to produce zones of intensity and calm. Impulse was first presented in the Quartier des Spectacles, Montreal’s downtown culture district, as part of Luminothérapie, an annual winter event. The exhibit is created by Lateral Office and CS design and tours managed by Creos. Photo credit: Brian Wancho