LANCASTER, Pa. – High Point’s Connor Owings hit a two-run homer in the second inning and that was all the Rockers’ pitching staff needed in taking a 2-0 win from the Lancaster Stormers in the series opener at Clipper Magazine Stadium on Friday night.

Owings’ homer followed a bloop single by Ryan Grotjohn off Lancaster starter Noah Bremer (L, 4-2).

High Point starter Neil Ramirez (W, 2-2) was spectacular, holding Lancaster to just one hit through six innings while not allowing a walk and striking out five. The lone hit was a bunt single by the Stormers’ Jack Conley in the third. After stealing second, Conley was stranded when Ramirez induced fly outs from Kyle Kasser and Shawon Dunston, Jr.

Austin Ross allowed a triple to Lancaster’s Chris Proctor in the seventh but then retired Gaige Howard on a ground ball to short to escape the threat. Garrett Schilling pitched around a single by Conley to keep the Stormers scoreless through eight.

Trace Loehr beat out a single to the hole at short with one out in the ninth off closer Jameson McGrane (S, 8). McGrane then fanned Joseph Carpenter for the second out and popped up Proctor but a miscommunication allowed the ball to fall untouched in the infield as Carpenter moved to third and Proctor took second. Gaige Howard then bounced out to Owings at third to put the finishing touch on the Rockers win.

The win moves the Rockers to 29-16 on the season.

Game two of the series is scheduled for Saturday night at 6:45 p.m. at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

NOTES:  The game last just 2:03, the fastest nine-inning game of the season for the Rockers . . . Neither pitching staff issued a walk in the game while striking out a combined 17 hitters.

Gastonia was beating Lexington 6-3 in the seventh inning at Lexington . . . A Gastonia loss would pull the Rockers to within one game of first in the South Division . . . A Gastonia win would keep the Rockers two games behind with 18 games left in the first half.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Shortstop Ryan Grotjohn went six-for-seven and Zander Wiel hit a tie-breaking home run to help the High Point Rockers sweep a doubleheader from Staten Island on Wednesday, winning 4-3 in the opener and 4-2 in the nightcap.

Along with his six hits, Grotjohn scored three runs and added an RBI.

Wiel slammed a solo homer in the top of the seventh inning of the opening game to lead the Rockers to a 4-3 win.

In the opener, the Rockers took a1-0 lead in the second when Grotjohn singled, stole second and scored on a single by D.J. Burt. The ‘Hawks tied the game in the bottom of the second with a solo homer from Abiatal Avelino.

Back-to-back doubles from Ben Aklinski and Colin Moran leading off the top of the third gave the Rockers a 2-1 lead. Staten Island forged ahead 3-2 in the fourth on a single by Joe Dunand and a two-run homer from Luis Castro.

Grotjohn led off the sixth with a double to center and scored on a single by Burt to knot the game at 3-3.

Jonah Scolaro went five innings for the Rockers , scattering five hits. David McKay (W, 3-0) pitched a scoreless sixth inning to earn the victory with Jameson McGrane earning his seventh save.

In the nightcap, the Rockers scored all four runs in the fourth inning. Singles by Clayton Mehlbauer and Burt put two men on before Martin Figueroa singled to score Mehlbauer with Burt caught trying to move from first to third. Grotjohn followed with a triple to right that scored Figueroa for a 2-0 lead. Aklinski’s sac fly to right delivered Grotjohn to the plate and a 3-0 advantage. Colin Moran then homered to dead center field, his sixth of the year, for a 4-0 High Point advantage.

A Ben Norman homer in the sixth pulled the FerryHawks to within three at 4-1. Norman singled home another run in the seventh to make it a 4-2 game.

Ryan Weiss (W, 3-4) tossed six strong innings for the Rockers, allowing just four hits while striking out eight. Garrett Schilling (S, 1) earned his first save of the year by pitching the seventh inning.

The Rockers are three games back of South Division-leading Gastonia. High Point is 27-16 and has won four straight games while Gastonia is 30-13 and has won eight straight games.

The third and final game of the series with the FerryHawks is slated for a 6:30 p.m. start at SIUH Community Park on Thursday.

HIGH POINT, N.C – High Point used the long ball to blast three home runs in the first two innings to power the Rockers to a 6-0 win over Staten Island Sunday afternoon at Truist Point. The win gave the Rockers a 2-1 series victory over the FerryHawks.

The Rockers got on the board in the bottom of the first when Evan Edwards blasted a two-run homer to score Martin Figueroa who reached with a lead-off single. Zander Wiel smacked a solo home run later in the first inning to give the Rockers a 3-0 advantage.

Figueroa hit another two-run homer for the Rockers in the second, scoring D.J Burt who reached on a base hit. High Point’s offense chased starter Matt Reitz (L,0-3) after 1.2 innings after he allowed five hits and five runs and was replaced by William Kirwan. 

High Point starter Cam Bedrosian (W, 1-0) went five innings and kept the Staten Island offense at bay, allowing just three hits while striking out six. High Point relievers Austin Ross, Zach Vennaro and Jameson McGrane each contributed to the shutout effort out of the bullpen.

Ryan Grotjohn tallied another home run after he smacked the first pitch of the ninth inning out of the park, giving the Rockers a 6-0 lead.  

The Rockers will have Monday and Tuesday off before heading to New York and starting a three-game series at Staten Island on Wednesday night with a 4 p.m. doubleheader. The next Rockers home stretch will start on Friday, June 21st at 6:35 p.m. against Southern Maryland.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Second baseman D.J. Burt and catcher Jake Washer combined to drive in seven runs in the High Point Rockers 8-4 win over the Staten Island FerryHawks on Saturday night in front of a crowd of 2,308 at Truist Point.

Burt had an RBI single and a three-run homer from the No. 9 spot in the batting order while No. 8 hitter Washer contributed a pair of hits and three RBI including a two-run double.

The Rockers built an 8-0 lead through the first five innings and cruised home after that.

High Point started the scoring with an RBI single from Burt in the second. The lead grew to 4-0 after three behind Washer’s two-run double and an error on Staten Island.

The Rockers blew up for four runs in the fifth with Washer driving in one with a bases loaded groundout and Burt’s three-run homer.

Ryan Meisinger earned the start and went 2.1 innings, allowing just three hits. Zach Muckenhirn (W, 3-0) with 2.2 innings of work with one hit allowed and one strikeout.

Staten Island’s only runs came off reliever Jacob Edwards, surrendering a three-run homer to Luis Castro in the sixth.

The Rockers will play the third and final game of the series with Staten Island on Sunday at 4:05 p.m.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – High Point Rockers left-hander Jonah Scolaro shut down the Long Island Ducks offense on Wednesday night as the Rockers took game two of the series by a 7-2 final. Scolaro (W, 2-0) tossed 6.2 innings, yielded just three hits and two walks while striking out seven.

Scolaro’s strong effort on the mound was supported by the Rockers’ offense which scored five runs in the first two innings off Long Island starter Daniel Corcino (L, 2-2).

The Rockers tallied a run in the first when Ben Aklinski hit a sac fly to score Martin Figueroa who had drawn a lead-off walk.

High Point posted four more runs in the second off Corcino. Ryan Grotjohn and D.J. Burt started the frame with singles and Corcino walked Figueroa to load the bases. A single by Evan Edwards brought home two runs before back-to-back sac flies from Colin Moran and Connor Owings finished off the inning.

Ryan Grotjohn singled home a run in the fifth and another in the seventh to complete High Point’s scoring.

Scolaro did not allow a hit until there were two outs in the fourth inning. Long Island’s only runs came with two outs in the sixth when Scolaro walked Ryan McBroom and gave up a two-run homer to Chance Sisco that cut the Rockers lead to 5-2.

Reliever Austin Ross replaced Scolaro and did not allow a run in his inning of work. Braeden Ogle came on with two outs in the eighth and earned a four-out save, his first of the season.

The High Point Rockers advanced to 23-14 and the Long Island Ducks slipped to 17-20. The Rockers remain a game behind South Division-leading Gastonia (24-13) which swept a doubleheader from Staten Island on Wednesday.

Game three of the series between the Rockers and Ducks is slated for a 6:35 p.m. start on Thursday.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Zander Wiel blasted a two-run homer and Brian Parreira added a solo shot during a three-run sixth inning that led the High Point Rockers to a 4-3 win over the Long Island Ducks on Tuesday night at Truist Point.

The Rockers were trailing 2-1 after three innings as Long Island’s Tyler Dearden stroked an RBI single and Ryan McBroom hit a sac fly in the third to take a 2-0 lead. The Rockers got one run back in the bottom of the third when Ryan Grotjohn walked and scored on a Ben Aklinski single.

That’s how the score remained until the sixth inning when Long Island starter Wei-Yin Chen (L, 2-2) allowed a one out double to Connor Owings. Wiel followed with his homer to put High Point in the lead for the first time at 3-2. After Colin Moran grounded out, Parreira pulled his homer to right to give High Point a 4-2 advantage.

The Ducks rallied for a run in the top of the eighth when pinch-hitter Aaron Antonini doubled to right, moved to third on a single by Chance Sisco and scored when McBroom’s one-hopper bounced off Rockers pitcher Ryan Meisinger who was able to recover and get the out at first.

Jacob Edwards (W, 3-0) came on in relief of starter Cam Bedrosian in the fourth inning and limited the Ducks to one hit while striking out three over his three innings of work. David McKay tossed a shutout inning in the seventh and Jameson McGrane retired the Ducks in order in the ninth to earn his sixth save.

Game two of the series between the Rockers and Ducks is slated for a 6:35 p.m. start on Wednesday. It will be First Responder’s Night with all first responders receiving four complimentary tickets with proper ID.