WALDORF, Md. – The High Point Rockers belted three home runs to support starter Kent Emanuel as the Rockers held off Southern Maryland 6-5 on Tuesday night at Regency Furniture Stadium.

The win pushes the Rockers to 4-3 on the year while Southern Maryland suffers just their second loss to fall to 5-2.

High Point found itself trailing for much of the first half of the game. But after taking the lead in the fifth inning, it was catcher Luke Napleton’s solo homer in the ninth that provided the eventual winning margin.

Emanuel (W, 1-0) went six innings and allowed seven hits and all four runs, three earned, before turning it over to the bullpen in the seventh.

Southern Maryland touched Emanuel for a pair of runs in the first for a 2-0 lead. After shortstop Viandel Pena hit a solo homer, Alejandro De Aza rolled a slow grounder to second and Braxton Davidson could not come up with D.J. Burt’s low throw. De Aza would take third on a single by Quinn McDaniel and then scored on a wild pitch for an unearned run.

Nick Longhi closed High Point’s deficit to 2-1 with a solo homer in the second, his second round-tripper of the year.

Southern Maryland took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the second when Taylor Darden singled and scored on a double by Brody Fahr.

Murphy Stehly homered in the fourth with Max Viera aboard to tie the game 3-3.

The Blue Crabs regained the lead at 4-3 in the bottom of the fourth on a walk to Ezequiel Pagan and an RBI single from Fahr.

An RBI triple by Aidan Brewer with D.J. Burt aboard in the fifth tied the game at 4-4. Anthony Servideo followed with a single to plate Brewer and give High Point its first lead of the night.

Ryan Chasse relieved Emanuel in the seventh but after securing the first two outs, issued a pair of walks. Scott Rouse put out the fire by striking out Quinn McDaniel to escape the jam. Rouse set the Crabs down in order in the eighth with the Rockers holding a 5-4 lead.

Napleton’s homer, his first of the year, came leading off the top of the ninth and provided the insurance run in High Point’s 6-4 lead.

Alec Barger was called on in the ninth to close out the win but with one out and one on, Viandel Pena lined an infield single off Barger’s leg to score one run and bring the go-ahead run to the plate. After getting a ground out and hitting a batter, Barger departed for Xander Hamilton who came on and struck out McDaniel for the final out and his first save of the year.

Connor Overton went five innings and struck out eight for Southern Maryland but allowed all five Rockers runs and was saddled with the loss.

Game two of the six-game set at Regency Furniture Stadium is set for a 10:30 a.m. first pitch on Wednesday. Rocker fans can follow the action on DugoutTV and listen to an audio-only broadcast on the free MixLR app.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 22, 2026

HIGH POINT ROCKERS 6, GASTONIA GHOST PEPPERS 5

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point Rockers rallied for three runs in the bottom of the ninth to post a come-from-behind 6-5 win over the Gastonia Ghost Peppers on Wednesday night at Truist Point. The win evens the Rockers record on the season at 1-1.

Trailing 5-3 entering the ninth, Gastonia reliever Blake Brown (L, 0-1) walked the first four men he faced, throwing 17 consecutive balls, forcing home a run and briningg the Rockers to within 5-4. Rockers DH Nick Longhi then flew out to right, allowing Ethan Skender to tag and score from third to tie the game. After Max Viera beat out an infield single to re-load the bases, Aidan Brewer lined out to center with a sacrifice fly, allowing Murphy Stehly to tag up and score the game-winning run.

The walk-off sac fly was the first of Brewer’s career as a Rocker.

Fin Del Bonta Smith made his first trip to the hill in 2026 and delivered an impressive outing, tossing five scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and striking out four.

The game was scoreless until the sixth inning when Gastonia cleanup hitter Grant Lavigne broke the deadlock with a two-run double, driving in Nate Scantlin from third and Anthony Prato from second to give Gastonia a 2-0 lead. Lavigne later came around to score on a fielder’s choice, capping off a three-run sixth inning.

High Point responded in the bottom half of the sixth, capitalizing on control issues from the Gastonia bullpen, which issued four consecutive walks to begin the inning.  Viera then drove in Skender via a sac fly to pull the Rockers within one run at 3-2.

Gastonia answered back in the seventh, sending seven hitters to the plate and extending the lead. Trendon Craig delivered an RBI single to score Jack Reinheimer from second and Lavigne added his third RBI of the night with a sac fly that plated Scantlin, pushing the lead to 5 to 2.

DJ Burt provided a spark for the Rockers offense in the seventh, doubling and later scoring to trim the deficit to 5 to 3. High Point threatened to do more damage after loading the bases with no outs, but Halton Hardy came out of the bullpen and shut the door, striking out all three batters he faced to end the inning and strand the tying runs.

Gastonia skipper Goose Gazzo went to Brown in the ninth with a save opportunity in sight. Brown was unable to find the zone as he walked the first four batters he faced.

Rookie righty Duncan Howard W, 1-0), from Kernersville, tossed a scoreless top of the ninth, striking out two and working around a triple, to earn his first professional win.

The rubber match of this three game set is slated to start at 6:35 pm on Thursday night. High Point will send southpaw Ben Wereski (0-0) to the hill to face off against Ljay Newsome (0-0).

 

 

FINAL: Gastonia Ghost Peppers 3, High Point Rockers 1

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The Gastonia Ghost Peppers broke a 1-1 tie on Jace Rinehart’s two-run eighth inning homer and took the season-opener from the High Point Rockers 3-1 at Truist Point on Tuesday night in front of a crowd of 2,001.

Hits were hard to come by in this one as the Rockers only tallied three hits in their 2026 debut. Gastonia managed nine hits.

Rockers starter Kent Emanuel shutout the Ghost Peppers through his four innings of work, yielding just two hits while walking two and striking out eight. He left the game after four with a 1-0 lead as centerfielder Bryson Parks singled to open the third inning, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on an RBI single from Murphy Stehley.

Gastonia tied the game in the sixth off reliever Win Scott (L, 0-1) as Anthony Prato drew a one out walk and scored on a double to left on a ball that was lost in the lights.

The score remained 1-1 until Scott allowed a lead-off double to Gastonia’s Grant Levigne to open the eighth. After Xander Hamilton came on in relief, Rinehart blasted his two-run homer to give the Peppers a 3-1 lead.

The Rockers did not get a base hit after the third inning as three Pepper relievers combined to retire the last 20 batters in a row.

Spencer Adams started for Gastonia and covered five innings, allowing all three High Point hits, while striking out nine and not allowing a walk.

“Kent had a great start but it was one of those nights,” said Rockers manager Jamie Keefe. “Adams looked really good, he was pounding the zone with velocity. We just had a ball that got lost in the sky and that will happen.

“For our offense to be successful, we have to get hits and we have to put the ball in play,” said Keefe.  “We didn’t do that tonight.”

Gastonia pitchers recorded 16 strikeouts on the night while High Point hurlers fanned 13. Cory Thompson (W, 1-0) earned the win with two hitless innings and four strikeouts.

The season-opening loss marks just the second time that the Rockers have lost an opener.

Game two of the three-game series at Truist Point will start at 6:35 p.m. on Wednesday night. The Rockers will send RHP Fin Del Bonta-Smith to the mound to face Gastonia RHP Connor Grey.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The York Revolution overcame an early 3-0 deficit and hit five home runs en route to a 7-4 win over the High Point Rockers to win the Atlantic League Championship for a second consecutive season on Wednesday night at Truist Point.

After the Rockers took a 3-0 lead in the first inning, the Revs rebounded with a steady offensive attack and a bullpen that held High Point to just two hits over the final 4.1 innings.

York wins the best-of-five series 3-1 and becomes the first ALPB team to have two sets of back-to-back championships, having won titles in 2010-11 and again in 2024-25.

The Rockers touched Revs starter Braden Scott for three runs, all with two outs, in the bottom of the first. Luis Gonzalez drew a lead-off walk and stole second while Scott fanned Drew Mendoza and Ben Aklinski. Evan Edwards then skyed a fly ball to short right field that fell between second baseman Jalen Miller and right fielder Jaylin Davis for a single that brought Gonzaez around with High Point’s first run. Alex Dickerson then hit the first pitch he saw for a home run to right, putting High Point up 3-0.

The Revs used the long ball to nibble away at the Rockers’ lead. Shayne Fontana hit a solo homer leading off the second to cut High Point’s lead to 3-1. Kyle Martin did the same leading off the fourth to make it a 3-2 game.

York took the lead with three runs in the top of the fifth, with one out, Miller singled and scored on a double to right-center by Kyle Martin. Caleb McNeely then followed with a two-run homer to dead center to give York a 5-3 lead.

The Rockers clawed one run back in the fifth when Gonzalez was hit by a pitch to start the frame. After a walk to Mendoza, Aklinski lined an RBI single to center to pull the Rockers to within a run at 5-4. With two outs, York brought in Josh Mollerus to retired Luke Napleton on a fly ball to left that Caleb McNeely caught on the warning track.

York’s bullpen of Josh Mollerus, Jimmy Burnette, Brendan Cellucci and Nick Mikolajchak didn’t strike out a single Rocker but kept the ball in play. The Rockers managed just a single by Aklinski and another by Aidan Brewer over the final four innings.

A solo homer by Jaylin Davis in the eighth and a final solo shot from Elvis Peralta in the top of the ninth propelled the Revs to the win.

Cellucci (W) got the win with 1.2 innings of one-hit relief. Del Bonta-Smith took the loss, allowing seven hits and five runs over 4.2 innings with a walk and five strikeouts.

NOTES: York’s championship is its fifth, the most of any active ALPB club . . . Only Somerset with six wins, has more . . . York has now won back-to-back championships, coupling its 2010-2011 titles with 2024-25 . . . York is now 15-2 all-time in LCS games and has won all five LCS series . . . The ALPB Championship trophy remains in Pennsylvania for the fourth straight year following the 2022-23 wins by the Lancaster Stormers . . . The North Division has won four of the last five ALPB titles . . .

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The York Revolution used a second inning solo homer from Jaylin Davis and a two-run blast from Shayne Fontana in the fourth to down the High Point Rockers 5-2 on Wednesday night in front of a crowd of 2,284 at Truist Point in Game 3 of the Atlantic League Championship Series.

York starter Mike Kickham (W, 1-0) went 6.1 innings and held the Rockers to two runs on four hits in earning his first win of the post season.

The win gives the Revolution a 2-1 series lead in the best-of-five League Championship Series. York can clinch its fifth all-time ALPB Championship with a win in Game 4 of the LCS at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Truist Point.

The Revs grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the second on a solo homer to left by Davis. The lead grew to 3-0 in the fourth when left fielder Caleb McNeely singled and scored on a two-run homer by Fontana.

High Point starter Ben Wereski left after the fourth, having allowed three runs on six hits while walking one and striking out eight.

Jalen Miller doubled to lead-off the fifth inning off Rockers reliever Scott Rouse. Miller moved to third on a grounder to second by Jeremy Arocho and scored on a sac fly to center from Kyle Martin to put York up 4-0.

The Rockers mounted a comeback in the eighth with a pair of runs on solo homers from Alex Dickerson and D.J. Burt, cutting the deficit to 4-2,

Kickham went 6.1 innings, allowed four hits and two runs with two walks and four strikeouts.

The Revs added an insurance run in the ninth when Chris Williams walked and scored from first on a double by Miller.

York relievers Nick Mikolajchak, Jimmy Burnette and Cam Robinson (S) kept the Rockers hitless through the final 2.2 innings.

Miller, McNeeley and Davis each had a pair of hits for York. High Point was held to just four hits on the night.

Game 4 of the best-of-five series will take place on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. at Truist Point. Tickets for Games 4 and 5 are on sale now at www.HighPointRockers.com and at the Truist Point Box Office. The Rockers will send right hander Fin Del Bonta-Smith to the mound try and get the Rockers to Thursday’s Game 5.

All Rockers and ALPB LCS games are available on FLOBASEBALL.TV and Rockers audio on the MixLR app.

YORK, Pa. – York Revolution right-hander Chris Vallimont threw a one-hit shutout and struck out 15 hitters in leading the Revs to a 2-0 win over the High Point Rockers in the opening game of the best-of-five Atlantic League Championship Series at WellSpan Park.

Vallimont (W, 1-0) became the first ALPB pitcher to throw a complete game one-hitter in the League Championship Series. He needed 106 pitches to throw the first complete game in the LCS since Lancaster’s Oscar De La Cruz had a complete game in a 6-1 win over High Point in Game 3 of the 2022 LCS.

High Point’s Evan Edwards doubled to lead off the second inning for the Rockers’ only hit of the night. Vallimont then walked Alex Dickerson before striking out Luke Napleton, Aidan Brewer and Cody Wilson to end the second. Vallimont retired 19 straight hitters until Aidan Brewer walked with one out in the eighth.

The Revs took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third when High Point starter Erich Uelmen (L, 0-1) allowed a lead-off single to Jeremy Arocho who then stole second and scored on a single by Kyle Martin.

Uelmen went five innings, allowing nine hits and one walk while striking out five Revs.

York increased its lead to 2-0 in the bottom of the sixth when Elvis Peralta hit a solo homer off Rockers reliever Scott Rouse.

York was led by Jalen Miller and Shayne Fontana who each had three hits for the Revs.

Game 2 of the series is slated for a 4:00 p.m. start on Sunday afternoon. High Point will send LHP Josh Hendrickson to the mound to face York righty Alex Valverde. All Rockers games are available on FLOBASEBALL.TV and on the MixLR app.

NOTES: York has now won 10 straight LCS games dating back to 2011 . . . The Revs are undefeated at home in the LCS, going 8-0 . . . High Point is in its second LCS and is still seeking its first win after being swept 3-0 by Lancaster in 2022 . . . The winner of the opening game of the LCS has gone on to win 22 of 26 series.