by Alexis Taylor

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point Rockers fell short in a high-scoring affair against the Gastonia Baseball Club, dropping a 9-8 decision on Thursday night at Truist Point in front of 2,153 fans.

Gastonia wasted no time getting the bats hot against Rockers’ starter Matt Solter (L, 1-2), taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Kevin Watson Jr. delivered a two-run triple, driving in the game’s first runs.

In the top of the third, Gastonia broke the game open with a six-run inning. With Hidekel Gonzalez on first after a broken-bat single, Gastonia pushed two more runs across with a timely RBI hit. Jake Gatewood followed with his second single of the night, setting the stage for Jacob Robson, who delivered a bases-loaded single to center, driving in three runs. Steven Flores capped the outburst with an RBI double to center, putting Gastonia up 8-0.

The Rockers’ offense came alive in the bottom of the third. After a DJ Burt walk and a single by Martin Figueroa, Ryan Grotjohn laced a double to right, sending Burt home for High Point’s first run. Quincy Nieporte followed with a two-run triple, cutting the deficit to 8-3. Connor Owings hit a sac fly to score Nieporte, tightening the score to 8-4.

Michael Martinez launched his first home run of the season for High Point, a 354-foot shot to left field in the bottom of the fourth. Burt singled, Figueroa walked, and Gastonia’s starter, Jake Miednick, loaded the bases with another walk. However, Nieporte couldn’t capitalize, leaving the Rockers empty-handed.

After Julian Smith replaced Miednick on the mound in the top of the fifth, Ben Aklinski hit his 20th home run of the season, the second of the night for the Rockers. Martinez followed with a double down the left field line, and Burt’s single brought him home, cutting Gastonia’s lead to 8-7.

The Baseball Club added an insurance run in the seventh when Gatewood doubled home Watson Jr., making it 9-7. Cory Thompson (W, 4-0) kept the Rockers hitless during his two innings of relief in the sixth and seventh.

High Point’s DJ Johnson took the mound in the eighth and held Gastonia scoreless, thanks to a diving catch by Grotjohn and a crucial strikeout of Watson Jr. The Rockers kept the pressure on in the bottom of the eighth, with Evan Edwards scoring on Grotjohn’s out, making it a one-run game at 9-8.

Despite putting runners in scoring position in the bottom of the ninth, the Rockers couldn’t complete the comeback. Gabe Klobosits (S, 9), reliever for Gastonia, shut down the High Point offense, securing the 9-8 win for the Baseball Club.

The Rockers (20-14) are 2.5 games behind Charleston (22-12) in the Atlantic League’s South Division second half pennant race and a half-game back of Gastonia (20-14).

The Rockers head to Charleston to take on the Dirty Birds this weekend, and will face Gastonia again next Tuesday when they return home to Truist Point.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Gastonia’s Justin Wylie hit a solo homer in the top of the ninth inning to give the Baseball Club a 3-2 win over the High Point Rockers on Tuesday night at Truist Point.

With Charleston taking an 11-9 decision from Lexington, the Rockers fell two games out of first place in the Atlantic League’s South Division. Charleston leads the division with a 21-10 second half record while the Rockers are second at 19-12. Gastonia is third at 18-14, 1.5 games behind High Point.

High Point starter Derrick Adams, making his first start at Truist Point, was perfect through three innings and retired the first 11 batters of the game. Josh Stowers doubled with two outs in the fourth and he scored on a single by Jake Gatewood for a 1-0 Gastonia lead.

The Rockers knotted the game at 1-1 in their half of the fourth off Gastonia starter Morgan McSweeney. Connor Owings drew a one out walk before McSweeney walked Evan Edwards. Trent Fennell came in from the bullpen and walked Michael Martinez to load the bases. Aklinski came home on a Fennell wild pitch.

A double by Eric De La Rosa to lead off the sixth led to Gastonia taking a 2-1 lead. De La Rosa moved to third on Richie Martin’s ground out to first then scored on a wild pitch by High Point reliever Justin Lewis.

Aklinski scored the tying run in the bottom of the sixth, reaching base after being hit by a pitch from Cory Thompson. Thompson then walked Edwards and Martinez bounced to a 4-6-3 double play that moved Aklinski to third. A wild pitch then brought home the tying run.

Will Carter put Gastonia down in order in the eighth and closer Dakota Chalmers struck out the first two men he faced in the ninth before Wylie launched his homer to left for a 3-2 Gastonia advantage. Gabe Klobosits (W, 5-4) struck out the side in the ninth to preserve the Gastonia win.

Gastonia finished with five hits in the game and the Rockers had four.

Game two of the series will take place on Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. at Truist Point.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The Charleston Dirty Birds hit three home runs and turned those into a 6-2 win over the High Point Rockers Sunday afternoon at Truist Point. The win puts Charleston back in sole possession of first place in the Atlantic League’s South Division at 20-10 while the Rockers drop a game back at 19-11.

Charleston wasted no time in going on the offensive. Lead-off hitter Phillip Ervin singled to left on the first pitch he saw from Rockers starter Jeremy Rhoades (L, 2-3) before Joseph Rosa homered to right for a 2-0 lead.

High Point cut the deficit in half in the second when Ben Aklinski singled and Charleston starter Adrian Almeida (W, 6-2) issued walks to Trey Martin and Brian Parreira to load the bases. But Almeida induced a weak grounder to short from Gilberto Jimenez that resulted in an out at second with Aklinski crossing the plate. D.J. Burt grounded out to end the inning.

Charleston increased its lead to 4-1 in the third on a two-run homer by Tillman Pugh.

Rhoades exited after the fifth inning, having allowed four runs on seven hits while walking three and striking out two.

In the eighth, with Kyle Halbohn on the mound for the Rockers, Rusber Estrada hit a two-out solo shot to right to give the Dirty Birds a 5-1 lead. In the top of the ninth, a fielding error by Burt led to an RBI single from Rosa to make it a 6-1 ballgame.

Martin Figueroa homered to lead off the ninth for the Rockers, marking his third consecutive game with a homer. But reliever Ricardo Gomez retired the final three hitters to secure the win. With two outs, Connor Owings’ hit a deep drive to right field that Pugh leaped against the fence in right and brought a sure home run back for the final out of the game.

The Rockers will enjoy an off day on Monday and then start a three-game home series with Gastonia on Tuesday night at 6:35 p.m. at Truist Point. Gastonia trails the Rockers by 2.5 games in the South Division second half race.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Brian Parreira slapped a bases-loaded single to right field in the bottom of the 11^th inning to give the High Point Rockers a thrilling 5-4 win over the Charleston Dirty Birds. The win put the Rockers and Dirty Birds in a tie for first place in the Atlantic League’s South Division.

Parreira’s game-winning hit capped a night that saw the top South Division contenders battle through 11 innings. Both clubs are now tied for first with identical 19-10 second half records.

The Rockers took a 2-0 lead in the first when Martin Figueroa doubled to lead-off the bottom half of the inning and scored on a single by Ryan Grotjohn who was playing his first game in High Point since July 3. Grotjohn then stole second, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on a wild pitch by Charleston starter Cristofer Ogando.

High Point starter Jonah Scolaro matched his season high with eight strikeouts in working the first five innings. He ran into trouble in the third when Charleston’s Joseph Rosa slammed a two-run homer and Keon Barnum followed with a solo shot to put the ‘Birds up 3-2.

The Rockers tied the game with a solo homer from Figueroa leading off the bottom of the third. Charleston forged a 4-3 lead in the top of the seventh when Juan Sanatana doubled and scored on a single by Phillip Ervin.

Trailing by a run, the Rockers tied the game at 4-4 in the eighth as Figueroa drew a walk to start the frame. He moved to third on a single by Quincy Nieporte and scored on a single to center by Connor Owings.

Both clubs were held in check in the ninth and 10^th innings. Rockers reliever Dakota Chalmers (W, 1-1) went three innings and fanned six hitters including five in a row at one point. He did not allow a base runner other than the ghost runner in extra innings via the international tie breaker rule.

Charleston’s Gerald Ogando (L, 2-3) came on in the 11^th with the ghost runner on second. He hit Ben Aklinski with his first pitch then allowed a single by Evan Edwards to load the bases. After striking out Michael Martinez, Parreira singled to right, bringing in Owings with the winning run.

“This was playoff baseball,” said Rockers manager Jamie Keefe. “The tension in the ballpark and the atmosphere were just like a playoff game.”

The third and final game of the series is scheduled for a 4:05 p.m. start on Sunday at Truist Point. Fans will receive a free 2024 team photo and the gates will open early at 3 p.m. as players will be available for autographs. A win on Sunday for the Rockers would give them undisputed possession of first place in the ALPB South Division.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – High Point’s Michael Martinez and Martin Figueroa combined for eight hits and four RBI in leading the Rockers to an 8-3 win over the Charleston Dirty Birds on Friday night at Truist Point.

Figueroa was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle, banging out a pair of doubles, a single and a two-run homer. Martinez flew out in his first at-bat but then collected two doubles and two singles to account for his four-hit night.

The win put the Rockers (18-10) just a game back of Charleston (19-9) in the race for the South Division second half title.

Charleston took an early lead with a pair of runs off High Point starter Matt Solter (W, 1-1). Tillman Pugh led off the second inning with a double, moved to third on an infield out by Jared Carr then scored on a single by Rusber Estrada. Estrada then scored from first on a double by Jesus Tavarez.

But the Rockers scored eight unanswered runs to take a commanding 8-2 lead after eight innings. During a four-run outburst in the fourth, Ben Aklinski plated a run with a sac fly, Connor Owings delivered an RBI single and Martinez belted a two-run double.

Figueroa’s two-run homer in the fourth put the Rockers ahead 6-2. The score remained that way until Quincy Nieporte hit a mammoth home run to left with Figueroa aboard in the eighth to forge an 8-2 lead.

Charleston added a solo run in the eighth off reliever Jacob Edwards. With two outs, Willy Garcia doubled into the rightfield corner and then scored on a Tavarez single before Edwards ended the game by inducing a groundout to short by Juan Santana.

The Rockers will play the second game of the three-game series against the Dirty Birds on Saturday at 6:35 p.m. at Truist Point. The Rockers will celebrate Mental Health Awareness Night with players wearing specialty jerseys that will be auctioned off for charity.

NOTES: Matt Solter earned his first win as a Rocker since beating Lexington on June 22, 2023… Nieporte is now six-for-12 in his three games as a Rocker… Figueroa was bidding to become the first Rocker with a cycle since Michael Russell on July 20, 2022 at Charleston. Figueroa doubled in the third, homered in the fourth, singled in the sixth and was held to a double in the eighth.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point Rockers’ game at Gastonia on Thursday, August 8 has been postponed due to inclement weather. The two Atlantic League South Division rivals will meet in a doubleheader on Tuesday, August 27 at Gastonia’s CaroMont Health Park.

The Rockers will open a six-game homestand at Truist Point on Friday, August 9 at 6:35 p.m. against the Charleston Dirty Birds. Charleston currently leads the South Division with an 18-8 record, 1.5 games ahead of the Rockers (17-10). Gastonia is in third place in the South Division at 16-12.

The Rockers have won two straight games, having defeated Gastonia 5-4 on Wednesday night.