CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. – High Point first baseman Evan Edwards hit a pair of home runs and drove in five runs in leading the Rockers to a 7-2 win over the Long Island Ducks at Fairfield Properties Ballpark on Wednesday night. The win keeps the Rockers’ hopes for an Atlantic League postseason berth alive.

The Rockers (34-25) are tied for second in the South Division along with Gastonia. Charleston, which took an 8-4 decision from Gastonia on Wednesday, leads the division at 37-22. Both High Point and Gastonia are three games back with four contests remaining.

Edwards hit a solo homer leading off the third inning then added a three-run homer in the seventh. He added an RBI single in the fifth inning.

Each team loaded the bases in the first inning but only Long Island was able to capitalize. With two outs, Joe DeLuca lined a single to center to score Taylor Kohlwey and put the Ducks on top 1-0.

High Point tied the game at 1-1 with two outs in the second when D.J. Burt doubled to left and scored when Martin Figueroa lined a double into the rightfield corner.

Evan Edwards blasted a homer to right leading off the third to put the Rockers in front 2-1.

Long Island used back-to-back two-out hits to tie the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth off High Point starter Yuhi Sako. Kole Kaler singled and stole second before scoring on a single by Nick Heath.

High Point took a 3-2 lead in the fifth. With two outs, Ben Aklinski doubled to left. Edwards then ripped a shot to the right side that Ducks’ second baseman Alexis Pantoja dove and stopped but his throw to starting pitcher Nick Tropeano (L, 4-2) covering first pulled him off the bag. Aklinski never stopped running and scored without a throw. Connor Owings then blooped a base hit to right that fell in and Edwards was able to score while Owings took second on the throw to the plate.

Edwards struck again with a three-run homer in the seventh, plating both Martin Figueroa and Ryan Grotjohn who each drew a walk from Ducks reliever Justin Alintoff. Edwards’ blast put the Rockers up 7-2.

Sako went 4.1 innings, allowing eight hits and two runs while walking three and striking out eight. Justin Lewis (W, 1-0) tossed 1.2 innings of hitless relief while Zach Vennaro put the Ducks down in order in the seventh. Austin Warner allowed one hit and a walk while striking out four in his two innings of work to close the game.

Edwards was three-for-four on the night with five RBI while Figueroa and Owings each drove in a run. Owings and Figueroa each had three hits to contribute to High Point’s 12-hit attack. DeLuca led the Ducks with a pair of hits and an RBI.

Thursday the Rockers will send knuckleballer Mickey Jannis (2-0, 4.26) to the mound to face Long Island’s Mitchell Senger (0-1, 7.10). Game time is 6:35 p.m. at Fairfield Properties Ballpark.

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. – The High Point Rockers took a 9-7 decision in 11 innings from the Long Island Ducks on Wednesday night at Fairfield Properties Ballpark, keeping the Rockers’ hopes for an Atlantic League postseason berth alive.

Tied at 5-5 after nine innings, the Rockers took a 7-5 lead in the top of the 10^th before Long Island answered with two runs of its own to force an 11^th ining.

In the 11^th, with Ben Aklinski starting the frame at second, Evan Edwards singled to right to move Aklinski to third. Connor Owings brought home Aklinski with a sac fly to right to give High Point an 8-7 advantage. Edwards then stole second and Long Island reliever Daniel Corcino walked Gilberto Jimenez to put two Rockers aboard. Aidan Brewer then grounded a ball up the middle that hit the second base bag and continued into center, scoring Edwards and moving Jimenez to third. A walk to Brian Parreira loaded the bases but D.J. Burt fouled out to right and Brewer was doubled off second as the Rockers took a 9-7 lead to the bottom of the 11^th.

High Point sent lefty Jacob Edwards (S, 1) to the mound in the bottom of the 11^th. He struck out Nick Heath, induced a ground out to short from Yonny Hernandez and got Leobaldo Cabrera to line out to third to end the game.

The win keeps the Rockers (33-25) alive in their race for an Atlantic League playoff berth. Gastonia (34-24) defeated Charleston 3-2 on Tuesday night, handing the Dirty Birds (36-22) their fourth straight loss. The Rockers are three games back of Charleston with five left to play.

Martin Figueroa staked the Rockers to a 1-0 lead when he hit a lead-off homer. Long Island tied the game at 1-1 in the third when Hernandez singled home Kole Kaler.

Edwards blasted a solo homer leading off the fourth to give the Rockers a 2-1 advantage. But Long Island catcher Aaron Antonini hit a solo homer to right to tie it up at 2-2.

The Ducks forged a 4-2 lead in the sixth when Joe DeLuca hit a two-run homer off Rockers’ starter Jeremy Rhoades (4-3).

The Rockers loaded the bases in the seventh when Brian Parreira walked, Figueroa singled to left and Ryan Grotjohn drew a walk. The Ducks replaced reliever Rolando Casihis with Peyton Williams. Williams gave up a sac fly to Ben Aklinski as Parreira scored. Williams then hit Edwards with a pitch to re-load the bases. Connor Owings then slapped a single up the middle, scoring Figueroa and Grotjohn as the Rockers took a 5-4 lead.

Garrett Schilling replaced Rhoades with two outs in the sixth and started the seventh by allowing a bloop single to Kole Kaler. Schilling was called for a balk, moving Kaler to second and he scored on a double to left by Nick Heath to tie the game at 5-5.

In the top of the eighth, the Rockers were able to put runners on the corners when D.J. Burt singled and Figueroa followed with a single, his third of the night. The Ducks turned again to the bullpen, bringing in Tyler Vail who was able to escape the frame by retiring Grotjohn on a fly out to center.

The Rockers sent Dakota Chalmers to the mound in the eighth and pitched around a double by Taylor Kohlwey to keep the Ducks off the board and the game tied.

Aklinski drew a walk to start the ninth and stole second before Gilberto Jimenez lined a single to right but Yoelquis Cespedes’ throw to the plate was in time to prevent the Rockers from taking the lead.

Jameson McGrane (2-3) started the ninth on the mound for the Rockers and put the Ducks down in order.

Long Island went with Daniel Corcino in the top of the 10^th with Jimenez placed on second base. Nieporte singled down the line in left, scoring Jimenez and then moving to second when the throw back to the infield got away from the Ducks. With Aidan Brewer pinch-running for Nieporte at second, Burt singled to right, giving the Rockers runners on first and third. Corcino then walked Figueroa to load the bases with one out. Grotjohn lined out to center but it was deep enough to score Brewer from third on the sac fly, giving High Point a 7-5 lead.

Will Carter (W, 1-1) came in to pitch for the Rockers in the 10^th and allowed a single to Leobaldo Cabrera, scoring Hernandez from second. Carter then struck out Alan Marrero on a fouled third strike bunt attempt. Carter then hit Cespedes with a pitch to put runners on first and second. DeLuca then beat out an infield single to load the bases. Carter then walked Kohlway to force in Cabrera and tie the game at 7-7.

Rockers manager Jamie Keefe brought in Aklinski from his spot in centerfield to serve as a fifth infielder. Long Island’s Alexis Pantoja grounded to Burt at second who threw home to cut down the winning run at the plate. Carter then fanned Kole Kaler to leave the game tied and send it to the 11^th.

The series resumes on Wednesday night at 6:35 p.m. at Fairfield Properties Ballpark. The Rockers will send Yuhi Sako to the mound to face Long Island righty Nick Tropeano (4-1).

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The Lexington Legends broke a 5-5 tie with five unanswered runs and posted a 10-7 win over the High Point Rockers in the home season finale in front of 2,050 fans at Truist Point on Sunday afternoon.

Tied at 5-5 in the sixth, Legends second baseman Nilo Rijo hit a 429-foot homer to dead center off reliever Jacob Edwards (L, 7-4) to put Lexington up 6-5. The Legends added three more runs in the seventh on a two-run double by Luis Navarro and an RBI single from Roberto Gonzalez to extend the lead to 9-5.

The Rockers rallied in the ninth as Brian Parreira hit a solo homer and D.J. Burt tripled and scored to pull High Point within three at 10-7 but could get no closer.

Lexington’s Korry Howell homered to lead off the game and put the Legends up 1-0. Jacob Barfield doubled to score Kole Cottam who had reached on a single as Lexington’s lead grew to 2-0 after a half inning.

Michael Martinez singled home Ben Aklinski in the bottom of the first to make it a 2-1 game.

Brady Whalen hit a solo homer in the third as Lexington took a 3-1 lead. But the Rockers responded with three runs in the bottom of the third to take a 4-3 lead. Ryan Grotjohn reached on an error and Aklinski was hit by a pitch. After a walk to Evan Edwards loaded the bases, Martinez drilled a two-run single to center. A sac fly off the bat of Gilberto Jimenez plated Edwards to put High Point in front for the first time.

Lexington tied the game at 4-4 with a single run in the fourth. Barfield singled, stole second then scored from second on a wild pitch from Rockers starter Derrick Adams. It was the first of three runs that the Legends scored on wild pitches in the game.

The Legends regained the lead 5-4 in the fifth when Howell was hit by a pitch and moved to third on a pair of infield outs. He then scored on a wild pitch by Justin Lewis.

High Point re-tied the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the fifth on Aklinski’s solo lead off homer. It was hit 28^th homer of the season and his 364^th career hit, making him High Point’s all-time hit leader.

But Lexington then scored five straight runs to go ahead 10-5 before the Rockers rallied late.

Lexington starter Nick Laio (W, 6-5) went six innings and allowed five runs on five hits while walking two and striking out four.

The Rockers will depart on Monday for their final road trip of the regular season. High Point will start the six-game series at Long Island on Tuesday.

The loss leaves the Rockers (32-25) four games behind the South Division-leading Charleston Dirty Birds (36-21) with six games remaining. Charleston has dropped four straight games and will conclude the regular season with a six-game stretch at Gastonia.

by Alexis Taylor

HIGH POINT N.C.- Despite a late-inning surge, the High Point Rockers couldn’t overcome a powerful Lexington Legends offense, falling 6-3 at Truist Point on Saturday night in front of 2,901 fans. A two-run home run by Lexington’s Pedro Gonzalez in the seventh inning proved to be the dagger in the Rockers’ comeback hopes.

The game started strong for High Point’s pitching, as Jonah Scolaro set the tone with a quick first inning, striking out back-to-back batters to retire the side. Lexington, however, wasted no time getting on the board in the second inning when Justin Williams launched a towering 411-foot home run to give the Legends an early 2-0 lead after Jacob Barfield had reached on a single.

The Rockers’ offense struggled to gain momentum in the first half of the game. Ryan Grotjohn’s base hit in the first was High Point’s only offense through five innings, as Lexington starter Matt Reitz kept the Rockers’ bats quiet. Meanwhile, High Point reliever Stephen Ridings managed to hold the Legends scoreless through the sixth, pitching around multiple walks.

Lexington extended its lead in the seventh inning when Garrett Schilling took over on the mound for High Point. Korry Howell singled, followed by a JT Riddle RBI single to increase Lexington’s lead 3-0. A hit-by-pitch by Kole Cottam put another runner on base before Pedro Gonzalez crushed a three-run home run to center field, putting the Legends up 6-0.

The Rockers finally broke through in the bottom of the seventh. Ben Aklinski reached base after being hit by a pitch, and Grotjohn followed with a double to deep right. Evan Edwards’ sacrifice fly brought Aklinski home for High Point’s first run. Connor Owings drew a walk, and both runners advanced on a wild pitch, but the Rockers couldn’t capitalize, leaving the score at 6-1.

In the ninth, High Point made one last push. Aklinski’s base hit and a walk to Grotjohn set the table, and Edwards’ single drove in another run. Gilberto Jimenez followed with an RBI single to make it 6-3, but Lexington closer Nick Gardewine shut down the rally for the third time in this series, forcing a flyout to end the game.

The Rockers (32-24) will look to even the series in their final matchup against Lexington on Sunday afternoon at 4:05 p.m., as they continue their final homestand at Truist Point.

The Rockers were not able to gain ground despite Charleston’s loss at home to Long Island on Saturday. The Rockers enter the final home game of the season at 32-24, four games behind the South Division leading Dirty Birds at 36-20.

by Alexis Taylor

HIGH POINT, N.C.- Behind a dominant performance from their pitching staff and timely hitting from DJ Burt and Ben Aklinski, the High Point Rockers secured a 4-1 victory over the Lexington Legends in the third game of their six-game series at Truist Point on Thursday night. The Rockers allowed just two hits all evening, with starter Yuhi Sako and relievers Garrett Schilling, Will Carter and Jameson McGrane combining to stifle Lexington’s offense.

Sako recovered from a shaky start to go six innings, allowing just one unearned run. The Legends took an early lead in the fourth inning when Kole Cottam reached on an error and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Jacob Barfield. But Sako settled in, allowing no further damage and retiring the last eight batters he faced until the bullpen took over.

The Rockers’ offense found life in the bottom of the fifth when Michael Martinez doubled to deep right field, setting up Burt for an RBI single that tied the game 1-1. High Point then broke the game open in the seventh, starting with a walk to Gilberto Jimenez. Frank Nigro followed with a clutch double into the right field corner that brought Jimenez home, giving the Rockers a 2-1 lead. Burt struck again with another RBI single, driving in Nigro to extend the lead to 3-1.

In the eighth inning, Aklinski added an exclamation point, launching his 26th home run of the season—a solo shot to left field that furthered the Rockers’ lead to 4-1.

The Rockers’ bullpen then took care of the rest. Schilling struck out the first batter he faced in the seventh, and Carter delivered a flawless eighth. McGrane closed out the ninth inning in dominant fashion, securing the Rockers’ win and ensuring their pitching staff’s gem of a night remained intact.

The Rockers (31-23) will look to continue their momentum in the next game of the series tomorrow night, where the final fireworks Friday presented by High Point University will take place after the game. Game time is 6:35 p.m. at Truist Point.

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.