FREDERICK, Md. – The High Point Rockers improved to 21-7 on the season with a 3-1 win at Frederick on Sunday afternoon. Starting pitcher Mickey Jannis (W, 4-0) went six innings and allowed just four hits while his Rockers teammates turned two double plays and threw out two runners at home plate.

High Point scored all of the runs it needed on a solo homer by Ryan Grotjohn and a two-run double from Brian Parreira.

Each team had its first scoring opportunity of the day cutdown at home plate. For the Rockers, John Nogowski reached base in the first inning when Frederick pitcher Max Povse threw high to first on a comebacker. Zander Wiel then cracked a liner into the right-center gap for a double but Nogowski was thrown out trying to score from first. In the bottom of the first, Frederick’s Luke Becker walked and went to second on a passed ball by Rockers catcher Brian Parreira and advanced to third on an infield groundout. Craig Dedelow’s ground ball to first was fielded by Nogowski who threw home to cut down Becker and keep the game scoreless.

The Rockers Ryan Grotjohn hit a solo homer with one out in the second, his fourth of the year, to put High Point ahead 1-0.  The Rockers added two more runs in the fourth when Ben Aklinski and Grotjohn each drew walks and came around to score on Parreira’s double into the rightfield corner.

Frederick’s Leobaldo Cabrera hit a solo homer in the fifth off Jannis, marking his third straight game with a homer, to pull Frederick to within 3-1.

In the seventh, the Rockers threw another Frederick runner out at the plate as Raudy Reed was cut down from right field on a Joe Johnson to Aklinski to Parreira relay.

Defense played a role again in the ninth inning when Frederick’s Raudy Read led off the inning with a bloop single off reliever Kyle Barraclaugh. After Johnni Turbo pinch ran for Read, Wilson Garcia lined out to Nogowski at first who stepped on the base to complete the unassisted double play. Barraclaugh struck out Cabrera to close the game and earn his first save as a Rocker.

Jannis used his knuckleball to hold Frederick to four hits while striking out four and walking one. He induced seven flyball outs and four on the ground. High Point scored all three of their runs off former Rocker Max Povse (L, 0-2) who allowed five hits and three walks while striking out three in his six innings of work.

Grotjohn led the Rockers with two hits and two runs scored. Read and Cabrera each had a pair of hits for Frederick.

High Point is now 21-7, the best record in the Atlantic League, and hold a game-and-a-half lead over 18-7 Gastonia. The Honey Hunters were rained out on Sunday and will play a doubleheader with Lancaster on Monday.

The Rockers will have an off-day on Monday and then start a three-game series at Gastonia on Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. at Caromont Health Park.

FREDERICK, Md. – The High Point Rockers rallied for three runs in the top of the eighth inning to erase a 5-4 deficit and take a 7-5 win from Frederick on Saturday night at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium. The win made the Rockers the first team in the Atlantic League to reach 20 victories this season as their record now stands at 20-7.

Trailing 5-4 after seven innings, High Point took a 7-5 lead in the top of the eighth inning when John Daly singled and newly-signed outfielder Cam Williamson reached on an error. After D.J. Burt was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Michael Martinez delivered a run-scoring sacrifice fly to score Daly.  John Nogowski then knocked a two-run single to left to score Williamson and Burt.

High Point took a 3-0 lead in the second inning when Ryan Grotjohn doubled with one out off Frederick starter Elih Villanueva. After moving to third on a wild pitch, Grotjohn would score on a single by Daly. Williamson then homered to put the Rockers up 3-0. Frederick responded in the bottom of the second when Leobaldo Cabrera hit a two-run homer to cut the margin to 3-2.

The Rockers extended their lead to 4-2 in the top of the seventh on a solo homer by Ben Aklinski, his sixth round-tripper of the season.  Frederick responded with a three-spot in the bottom of the seventh to take a 5-4 lead. A pair of errors by the Rockers led to all three unearned runs.

The Rockers called on ace reliever Ryan Dull to close the game in the ninth. He walked one and struck out one to earn his sixth save of the season.

Joe Johnson started for the Rockers and went five innings, allowing six hits and two runs while walking two and striking out two. Jeremy Rhoades (W, 5-0) became the first Atlantic League pitcher to reach five wins by pitching the seventh inning. Frederick’s Jack Weinberger (L, 1-2) allowed two hits and three runs in the eighth inning in taking the loss.

High Point and Frederick will conclude their three-game series on Sunday with a 1:00 game at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium.

NOTES:  OF Cam Williamson was signed by the Rockers on Saturday after Dai-Kang Yang was placed on the injured list with a leg injury… Williamson appeared in two games with the Rockers in 2022 during a pair of brief stints with the club, going one-for-four in two games . . . His homer on Saturday marked his first as a pro . . . He also played in 11 games with Empire State of the Frontier League in 2022 . . . Williamson is a former player at Greensboro Dudley High who played at North Carolina A&T State University . . . Joe Johnson, a High Point University grad who had been with the Rockers for the majority of the 2021 and 2022 seasons, was signed by the Rockers on Friday after having started the year with the Tri-City Valley Cats (Troy, NY) of the Frontier League . . . Rockers manager Jamie Keefe is not with the team in Frederick as he is attending the college graduation of his son Brigham from the University of Massachusetts . . . Bench coach Albert Gonzalez is serving as interim manager.

HIGH POINT, NC- Jamie Keefe secured his 1,000 career win with a 6-1 win against the Lancaster Barnstormers on Wednesday night at Truist Point. Dai-Kang Yang drove in three runs to lead the Rockers to victory and complete a three-game sweep of the Barnstormers.

In his 21st season as a manager Keefe has reached a new milestone in his career with 1,000 wins. The win came after the Rockers came from behind for the third straight game after trailing 1-0, until Yang hit a two-run RBI single to bring in Zander Wiel and Beau Taylor to put the Rockers up 3-1 in the bottom of the sixth. Yang then hit a sacrifice fly to give the Rockers a 6-1 advantage in the eighth.

Rockers starter Sam Burton pitched five innings and held the Barnstormers to just one run, five hits and two walks.

The Barnstormers took the first lead of the game with one run in the top of the first after an RBI single from Andretty Cordero to bring around Melvin Mercedes who received a leadoff walk. Jacob Lemoine (L, 1-2) was the starting pitcher for Lancaster giving up three runs, three hits and five walks.

Taylor Guerrieri (W 1-1) came in to pitch for the Rockers in the top of the sixth, and did not allow a hit while yieldingjust one walk.

The Rockers offense came alive in the bottom of the sixth. High Point tied it at 1-1 after a costly balk from Lemoine which was followed up by a ground rule double from Wiel. A Yang single scored Wiel and Aklinski to put the Rockers ahead 3-1.

Kyle Barraclaugh then came on to pitch for the Rockers in the top of the seventh charged with holding the 3-1 lead. He struck three in his two innings and pitched out of a jam in the eighth when the ‘Stormers had runners on second and third with one out.

The Rockers then tacked on three more insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth after Aklinski reached on after an error by Lancaster third basemen Trace Loehr. Taylor singled to put two aboard  before Ryan Grotjohn cleared the bases with a triple to right. A sacrifice fly from Yang then plated Grotjohn in to expand the lead to 6-1. Ryan Dull struck out the side in the ninth to secure Keefe’s 1,000^th win.

The Rockers are now 19-6 on the season and hold a one game lead over Gastonia (17-6) in the Atlantic League’s South Division.

High Point will have Thursday off and then will start a three- game series at Frederick on Friday at 6:35 p.m. Rockers fans can follow the team on the road on the Mixlr audio app with a live video stream at Flosports.com.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point Rockers swept a doubleheader from the Lancaster Barnstormers on Tuesday night at Truist Point. The Rockers came from behind in winning both games, taking the opener by a score of 2-1 and the nightcap at 4-2.

The sweep gives the Rockers a record of 18-8 on the season and a one-game lead over second place Gastonia (16-6) in the South Division of the Atlantic League.

The sweep was fueled by outstanding pitching performances, from starters Mickey Jannis in the opener and Neil Uskali in the second game, along with relievers Jeremy Rhoades, Jameson McGrane and Ryan Dull. Dull earned his fifth save of the season with his work in the nightcap.s

Jannis went seven innings, allowed three hits and one walk while striking out nine and left the contest with the score tied at 1-1. Rhoades pitched the eighth inning of the scheduled seven-inning affair and put the Barnstormers down in order to collect the win (4-0). Uskali allowed just three hits over five innings while striking out three and earned his first win of the season.  The bullpen combined to throw three innings during the doubleheader without allowing a hit and striking out four. Dull earned the

In the opener, Lancaster scored first with a run in the second inning. Trayvon Robinson tripled and scored on an infield grounder to first by Chris Proctor. High Point tied the game in the bottom of the fourth when Zander Wiel slugged a solo homer, his fifth of the year, to knot the game at 1-1.

Jannis and Rhoades kept Lancaster’s offense in check with their pitching. After Rhoades shut down the ‘Stormers in the top of the eighth, the Rockers started the bottom of the eighth with John Daly at second. Michael Russell singled sharply to center to move Daly to third before Michael Martinez singled to right-center to plate Daly and give the Rockers the 2-1 walk-off win.

In the nightcap, Lancaster’s Kelly Dugan and Trayvon Robinson hit back-to-back doubles in the second and Jack Conley added an RBI single for a 2-0 lead.  The Rockers battled back with a run in the third when D.J. Burt led off the inning with a double, moved to third on an infield out by Ryan Grotjohn and scored on a wild pitch by Lancaster’s Nile Ball. The Rockers tied the game in the fourth with a two-out double from Wiel and an RBI single from Ben Aklinski.

It was Burt, who made two acrobatic catches in centerfield during the twinbill, who keyed the Rockers’ final rally. He tripled to lead off the fifth but aggravated a leg injury and was replaced by John Daly at third. Daikang Yoh lifted a fly ball to right in which Daly was able to easily trot home with the go-ahead run. The Rockers added an insurance run in the sixth when Beau Taylor singled and moved to third on an infield single by Daly. But the throw to first from third baseman Andretty Cordero got past first baseman Joseph Carpenter allowing Taylor to score for a 4-2 final.

Michael Russell and Michael Martinez led the Rockers with a pair of hits each in the first contest. Burt had a team-high two hits in the nightcap.

High Point and Lancaster will meet again in the final game of the three-game series at 6:35 p.m. on Wednesday at Truist Point. The Rockers will send Sam Burton to the mound for his second start of the season.

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. – The High Point Rockers dropped both ends of a doubleheader on Sunday, falling 4-2 in the opener and 8-3 in the nightcap. The Rockers are now 16-6 on the season and hold a half-game lead over Gastonia in the Atlantic League’s South Division.

In the nightcap, the Rockers struck for three runs in the top of the first off Ducks’ starter Stephen Woods, Jr. (W, 3-0). After D.J. Burt led off the game with a walk, Michael Martinez singled, moving Burt to third. John Nogowski then grounded to short and the Ducks retired Martinez at second as Burt scored. After Nogowski stole second he came around to score on a single by Zander Wiel. Wiel would make it a 3-0 game by scoring on a sac fly by Ryan Grotjohn.

The score remained that way until the fourth when the Ducks scored twice off starter Liam O’Sullivan (L, 1-1). Alex Dickerson hit a sac fly and Jesse Russo had an RBI single to make it a 3-2 ballgame.

Long Island chased O’Sullivan in the fifth when the first four hitters greeted him with base hits and the Ducks would go on to score six times for an 8-3 advantage. Daniel Murphy hit a three-run homer that prompted the Rockers to bring in A.J. Cole who gave up the final two runs of the inning.

The Rockers had seven hits in the second game with Burt and Wiel each accounting for two. O’Sullivan allowed seven hits and six runs over his four innings of work.

In the first game, the Rockers dropped a 4-2 decision to the Ducks. High Point starter Chris Rollins (L, 0-1) allowed three runs in the first and a single run in the second. Rollins was signed by the Rockers on Sunday as an emergency starter. With two starters on the Injured List in Neil Ramirez and Craig Stem, and the recent contract purchase of lefty starter Ben Braymer, the Rockers were in need of a Sunday starter. Rollins started one game for the Rockers in 2022 as well.

High Point’s two runs came on an RBI single by Nogowski in the third inning that followed a Martinez double. Grotjohn hit a solo homer in the seventh. Long Island’s Joe Iorio (W, 2-2) went six innings and allowed four hits while striking out three. High Point had five hits spread out among five different players.

The Rockers return home on Tuesday, May 23 when they will host a doubleheader with the Lancaster Barnstormers. First pitch is scheduled for 5:05 at Truist Point.

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. – The Long Island Ducks were able to overcome a 4-1 deficit to end High Point’s four-game winning streak with a 5-4 win Friday night at Fairfield Properties Ballpark.

The Rockers built a 4-1 lead after two innings but were held scoreless the rest of the way. The Rockers tallied twice in the first inning as D.J. Burt led off the game with a single and moved to second on a single by Michael Martinez. Burt took third following John Nogowski’s fly ball out to right. Zander Wiel then delivered a run-scoring single with Martinez moving to third before Ryan Grotjohn singled to plate Martinez for a 2-0 lead.

The Ducks got one run back in the bottom of the first as Boog Powell walked, motored to third on a single by Daniel Murphy and scored on a Sam Travis sacrifice fly.

The Rockers went up 4-1 with two more runs in the second. With one out, John Daly reached on a fielder’s choice and went to second when Burt’s smash to third base was misplayed. Daly then swiped third, his seventh stolen base of the year, before scoring on a sac fly by Michael Martinez. After Nogowski drew a walk, Wiel singled to put High Point ahead 4-1.

High Point starter Sam Burton, signed earlier in the day, went five innings and gave up just three hits and one run while striking out four and was not involved in the decision. The Rockers scored each of their first four runs off Long Island starter Stephen Tarpley who allowed seven hits and a walk while fanning four.

Three Long Island relievers, Jose Jose, Al Alburquerque (W, 1-0) and Kevin Quackenbush (S, 1) were able to hold the Rockers scoreless over the final three innings.

Long Island tied the game with three runs in the sixth as Dustin Woodcock singled with one out off reliever Gabriel Castellanos before Mike Wilson was hit by a pitch. Philip Caulfield singled to load the bases but Castellanos induced Powell to popout for the second out. Adeiny Hechavarria lifted a fly ball behind first base that Nogowski was not able to corral, allowing two runs to score on the error. A single by Murphy then tied the game at 4-4.

In the eighth, Powell singled to right and went to second on a walk to Hechavarria off High Point reliever Taylor Guerrieri (L, 0-1) before taking third on a passed ball by catcher Tyler Blaum. Murphy then grounded out as Powell scored to put the Ducks up 5-4. Nogowski hit a two-out double in the ninth but was stranded.

Wiel had three hits and a pair of RBI in the game while John Daly went two-for-four. Murphy led the Long Island offense with three hits and two RBI.

The Ducks have postponed Saturday’s game due to a forecast of inclement weather. The two clubs will play a day-night doubleheader on Sunday with game one beginning at 1:30 p.m. and the nightcap at 6:30. Both contests will be seven inning games at Fairfield Properties Ballpark.