CHARLESTON, W.Va. – With nearly every game a must-win game, the High Point Rockers rallied back from a 4-1 deficit on Saturday night to defeat the division-leading Charleston Dirty Birds 9-4 at GoMart Park.

The win puts the Rockers (29-20) four games behind Charleston (33-16) in the race for the Atlantic League’s South title with 14 games left to play.

High Point trailed Charleston 4-1 after five innings before scoring eight unanswered runs over the final four innings. The rally started with High Point stringing together four doubles in a three-run sixth inning. Connor Owings started the hit parade with a double and scored on a two-bagger by Ben Aklinski. Martin Figueroa doubled to plage Aklinski and Michael Martinez completed the inning with an RBI double that scored Figueroa and tied the game 4-4.

Owings hit a sac fly in the seventh to put High Point up 5-4 before Martinez hit a solo homer in the eighth to up the lead to 6-4.

The Rockers banged out two more doubles in the top of the ninth to score three times and increase the advantage to 9-4. Ryan Grotjohn led off the inning with a double and Owings drew a walk. Evan Edwards doubled home Grotjohn, Figueroa was hit by a pitch load the bases before Brian Parreira drew a walk to force home Owings. Martinez bounced out to bring home Edwards to send the Rockers to the bottom of the ninth with a 9-4 lead.

Mickey Jannis started for the Rockers and went four innings, allowing five hits and two runs with four walks and a strikeout. Justin Lewis yielded a pair of runs in the fifth before Kyle Halbohn shut down the Dirty Birds in the sixth. Garrett Schilling threw a hitless eighth and Will Carter (W, 1-1) struck out the side in the eighth. Jameson McGrane closed it out for High Point in his first appearance since returning from Mexico, allowing a walk and a strikeout.

The Rockers face another set of critical games on Sunday, playing at Charleston in a 4:05 p.m. doubleheader at GoMart Park.

High Point returns home on Tuesday and will host Lexington in the final homestand of the season. The first of the six games is slated for a 6:35 p.m. first pitch at Truist Point.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The High Point Rockers fell behind early, rallied to tie the game but eventually dropped a 4-3 decision in the series opener at Charleston on Friday night.

The Charleston win keeps the Dirty Birds (33-15) five games ahead of the Rockers (28-20) in the Atlantic League’s South Division. The two clubs will play three more times this weekend with a single game on Saturday at 6:35 and a doubleheader on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. at GoMart Park.

The Rockers were held hitless for the first six and one-third innings by Charleston starter Stevie Ledesma. The 28-year-old righty allowed a walk to Evan Edwards in the second but put the Rockers down in order in each of the other innings.

Meanwhile, the Dirty Birds were building a 3-0 lead against Rockers starter Jeremy Rhoades. Juan Santana drew a walk in the third, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Phillip Ervin. Charleston extended the lead to 3-0 in the fourth when Jared Carr singled and scored on a homer by Rusber Estrada.

After D.J. Burt flew out to start the seventh, Ledesma walked Ryan Grotjohn and gave up the Rockers’ first hit, an RBI double to Connor Owings. Owings then moved to third on a passed ball by Estrada. Ben Aklinski’s grounder to short allowed Owings to score to pull the Rockers to within a run at 3-2. Evan Edwards then tripled to center and Ledesma yielded to reliever Cristofer Ogando (W, 7-0). Another passed ball by Estrada allowed Edwards to score and tie the game.

Austin Warner (L, 1-2) relieved Rhoades in the eighth after the starter allowed eight hits over his seven innings of work. After a 1-2-3 inning in the seventh, Warner allowed back-to-back doubles by Tillman Pugh and Jared Carr to put Charleston in front 4-3. Zach Vennaro was summoned from the bullpen and retired Estrada on a fly ball to right.

Charleston went with righty Pedro Garcia in the top of the ninth. He struck out Aklinski and retired Edwards on an infield bouncer back to the mound. Martine Figueroa then hit a 1-2 pitch through the right side for a single and Parreira did the same, moving Figueroa to third. Michael Martinez then hit a drive to deep right field which Pugh was able to track down just in front of the wall to lock up the Charleston win.

NOTES: The Rockers re-signed RHP Jameson McGrane on Friday. He had played the first half of the season in High Point then spent seven weeks pitching in Mexico. He leads the club with 10 saves… The Rockers also traded RHP D.J. Johnson to the York Revolution… High Point released OF Trey Martin and signed catcher Frank Nigro. Nigro, most recently with the New Jersey Jackals of the Frontier League, was with the Rockers during their inaugural season in 2019.

GASTONIA, N.C. (August 29, 2024) – The High Point Rockers unleashed a double-digit hitting attack for the sixth straight game in pummeling Gastonia 13-2 on Thursday night at CaroMont Health Park.

The Rockers finished the night with 15 hits, marking a club record sixth straight game with double digit hits. Martin Figueroa and Michael Martinez led the hit parade with three each while D.J. Burt, Connor Owings, Evan Edwards and Brian Parreira each chipped in with a pair of hits. Parreira, Owings, Edwards and Parreira each collected a pair of RBI.

High Point starter Matt Solter (W, 3-2) held Gastonia to four hits in his five innings of work with four walks and five strikeouts. The Baseball Club’s lone run before the ninth inning came in the fourth when Cam Williams hit a solo homer. Reliever Will Carter allowed a triple to Eric De La Rosa in the ninth and he scored on an infield out.

Jacob Edwards, Justin Lewis and D.J. Johnson each threw a shutout inning of relief.

The Rockers tallied a single run in each of the first three innings. In the first, Figueroa led off the game with a double and then a pair of walks from Gastonia starter Morgan McSweeney (L. 1-1)_ loaded the bases. Ben Aklinski then fouled out to the first baseman while Figueroa tagged and scored from third for a 1-0 lead.

In the second, Figueroa singled home Martinez and Martinez returned the favor in the third, singling home Edwards following a one out double.

The Rockers scored three times in the sixth. The frame started with consecutive singles by Martinez and Parreira. Figueroa’s single brought Martinez home and Parreira scored on a wild pitch. Burt then singled home Figueroa and the Rockers held a 6-1 lead.

Edwards drew a walk off Gastonia reliever Bryan Blanton to start the seventh and Parreira smashed a two-run homer to extend the lead to 8-1. The Rockers added three more runs in the eighth on a walk, three hits and a Gastonia error as the lead grew to 11-1.

Gastonia sent first baseman Marc Flores to the mound in the top of the ninth. He allowed two runs on a Ryan Grotjohn sacrifice fly and a Connor Owings ground out.

The Rockers are now 28-19 in the second half and riding a six-game winning streak. They will head to Charleston for a critical four-game series with the Dirty Birds. Charleston leads the South Division with a 32-14 record. Charleston’s home game with Southern Maryland on Thursday night was delayed due to rain. The Rockers are 4.5 games behind Charleston and two games in front of Gastonia,

NOTES: The 13-2 win marks the largest margin of victory for the Rockers over Gastonia, surpassing an 11-1 win in June 2023.

WALDORF, Md. (August 24, 2024) – High Point manager shook up his line-up and the Rockers responded with an overwhelming 11-2 win over Southern Maryland on Saturday night at Regency Furniture Stadium.

Left fielder Gilberto Jimenez had four hits to lead the Rockers’ 15-hit attack. High Point hit a season-high seven doubles while Jimenez, Trey Martin and Aidan Brewer all rocked home runs.

Jimenez scored three times and hit a pair of doubles while driving in a pair of runs. Ryan Grotjohn had three hits while Michael Martinez and Brewer each drove in a pair of runs.

The win leaves the Rockers at 23-19 in the second half, 5.5 games behind South Division-leading Charleston (29-14), which defeated Staten Island on Saturday night.

The Rockers used back-to-back doubles from Connor Owings and Martinez to score a pair of runs in the top of the first. Jimenez led off the game with a single and then stole second base. After Grotjohn flew out to center, Owings doubled off the wall in center to plate Jimenez. Martinez lifted a fly ball down the right field line that fell just out of the reach of any Blue Crab as Owings scored and Martinez wound up on second. Evan Edwards then singled home Martinez as the Rockers took a 3-0 lead.

High Point starter Matt Solter (W, 2-2) put the first three Blue Crab batters on base via a pair of hits and a walk. Anthony Brocato grounded to Martinez at third who stepped on the bag but his throw to the plate was not in time, allowing a run to score and leaving High Point with a 3-1 lead.

In the third Southern Maryland’s Josh Broughton singled, stole second and took third following a throwing error by Rockers catcher Nolan Watson. Broughton then scored on a sac fly off the bat of Jomar Reyes.

Trey Martin hit a mammoth homer to left off Southern Maryland starter Garrett Martin (L, 6-8) with one out in the fourth to push High Point’s lead to 4-2. Brewer followed with a double and scored on a Jimenez double to put the Rockers up 5-2.

Watson was hit by a pitch with one out in the sixth, moved to third on a double by Jimenez and then scored on a sac fly from D.J. Burt. After Alex Merithew replaced Martin, Grotjohn doubled home Jimenez for a 7-2 Rockers lead.

Aidan Brewer homered with Martin aboard in the top of the seventh as High Point surged to a 9-2 lead. Jimenez added a solo shot in the eighth with Martinez driving in Grotjohn to put the Rockers up 11-2.

The third and final game of the series is slated for a 2:05 p.m. start on Sunday at Regency Furniture Stadium.

NOTES: Manager Jamie Keefe shook up his line-up on Saturday, starting Gilberto Jimenez in left field, D.J. Burt in center and Trey Martin in right. The infield included Evan Edwards at first, Aidan Brewer at second, Ryan Grotjohn at short and Michael Martinez at third with Nolan Watson behind the plate…High Point will send Cam Bedrosian (6-3, 2.75) to the mound on Sunday to face Blue Crab righty Spencer Johnston (5-5, 5.86).

HIGH POINT, N.C. (August 22, 2024) – Connor Owings and Evan Edwards each belted two run homers to help the High Point Rockers to a 7-3 win over the Gastonia Baseball Club n Thursday night at Truist Point.

Owings finished the night with three hits, including a double, and three RBI, as the Rockers ended the series by taking two of three from the Baseball Club.

Jeremy Rhoades (W, 4-3) fanned six over his 5.1 innings of work and yielded just five hits and three runs in earning the win. Gastonia’s Gunnar Kines allowed seven runs on five hits in his four innings of work.

Gastonia took a 2-0 lead in the second on a two-run homer from Jacob Robson. The Rockers responded in the bottom of the second when Quincy Nieporte singled and scored on Edwards’ homer to tie the game. The Rockers added three runs in the bottom of the third to take a 5-2 lead. D.J. Burt doubled and scored on a single by Ryan Grotjohn before Owings blasted a two-run homer.

Grotjohn doubled and scored on an Owings single in the fifth to push the Rockers’ lead to 6-2. Gastonia’s final run came in the top of the sixth when Marc Flores singled and moved to third on a pair of walks. Eric De La Rosa then singled home Flores.

High Point’s final run came in the bottom of the eighth as Burt singled, stole second, then scored from second on a wild pitch.

The Rockers (22-18) remain in third place in the Atlantic League’s South Division, one game behind Gastonia (23-17) and 4.5 games behind Charleston (27-14).

The Rockers now embark on their longest road trip of the season, playing the next nine games on the road. High Point returns to Truist Point to open a six-game homestand against the Lexington Legends on Tuesday, September 3.

by Alexis Taylor

HIGH POINT, N.C. (August 21, 2024) – In a game dominated by pitching and defense, the High Point Rockers fell 2-1 to the Gastonia Baseball Club in an 11-inning thriller at Truist Point on Wednesday night. Gastonia’s Jake Gatewood singled home the go-ahead run in the top of the 11^th and the Rockers were unable to respond in the bottom half of the inning.

Rockers’ starter Jonah Scolaro set the tone early, striking out two in the first inning and working around a hit-by-pitch to retire Gastonia without a run. High Point’s bats struggled to find heat though, and Gastonia’s Jake Miednik retired the side in order in both the first and second innings.

The bottom of the second saw Rockers manager Jamie Keefe ejected after a heated exchange with home plate umpire, adding to the tension of an already tight game. However, High Point’s lineup continued to be stumped by Miednik, going down in order for the second straight inning.

Scolaro and the Rockers’ defense remained sharp in the top of the third, sending Gastonia down 1-2-3 once more. In the bottom half, High Point appeared ready to break through after DJ Burt singled to center and stole second. A fielding error allowed Martin Figueroa to reach first and move Burt to third, but a fly out to center ended the Rockers’ threat, leaving the game scoreless.

The defensive stalemate continued into the fourth, as High Point turned a crucial double play to erase back-to-back walks by Scolaro. The Rockers couldn’t capitalize on their momentum, however, as Gastonia’s pitching retired the side once again in the bottom half.

Scolaro was dominant in the fifth, striking out Gatewood and forcing two flyouts to maintain the scoreless tie. The Rockers remained frustrated at the plate, going down 1-2-3 for the fourth time.

In the top of the sixth, Gastonia threatened after a walk and a single, but Scolaro responded by fanning two batters, keeping the game scoreless. However, High Point couldn’t find their offensive spark and the inning ended quietly.

Jacob Edwards relieved Scolaro in the seventh, following Scolaro’s impressive six innings with eight strikeouts, allowing only one hit and three walks. Edwards quickly found himself in a jam with the bases loaded, but the Rockers’ defense delivered a make or break double play to escape unscathed.

High Point’s offense showed some life in the bottom of the seventh with Nieporte’s single, but it wasn’t enough to break the scoreless tie. Quiet bats continued through the eighth inning, with Austin Warner on the mound for the Rockers. Warner walked Watson Jr., who advanced to scoring position on a wild pitch, but Gastonia failed to get any gain.

The game entered extra innings after neither team could score in the ninth. Gastonia struck first in the top of the 10th when Watson Jr. hit an RBI double to score Martorano, giving Gastonia a 1-0 lead. However, the Rockers responded in the bottom half when Evan Edwards’ sac fly brought Connor Owings home to tie the game 1-1.

Gastonia reclaimed the lead in the top of the 11th with a double by Gatewood that drove in Marc Flores, making it 2-1. The Rockers had one last chance in the bottom of the inning, but Aklinski flew out, sealing the 2-1 victory for Gastonia.

Despite the loss, the Rockers’ pitching was a bright spot, with Scolaro and the bullpen combining for 13 strikeouts.

High Point (21-18) remains 4.5 games behind Charleston (26-14) in the South Division. The Rockers hold a half-game lead over Lancaster in the wild card race.

The Rockers return to Truist Point on Thursday looking for a series win against Gastonia Baseball Club).