HIGH POINT, N.C. – Long Island’s Kyle Lobstein allowed the High Point Rockers just four hits and struck nine over eight innings of work as the Ducks took the series opener from the Rockers 8-2 on Friday night in front of a crowd of 2,672 at Truist Point.

The Rockers did not advance a runner to second base until the ninth inning when Lobstein had departed for reliever Kevin Quackenbush. Trailing 8-0, the Rockers scored twice in the ninth, on an RBI single from Daikan Yoh and another from Ben Aklinski.

“Lobstein was outstanding,” said Rockers manager Jamie Keefe. “He kept the ball down in the zone all day and he was ahead of everybody in the count. To be honest, that’s the best start we’ve run into in the last month, month and a half. We ran into a buzzsaw tonight but it was good to see us get a couple of runs late and get the bats ready for tomorrow.”

Scoreless through the first three innings, the Ducks took a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth when rightfielder Alex Dickerson drew a lead-off walk from High Point starter Ryan Weiss. Brian Goodwin then belted a two-run homer to right to give Long Island a 2-0 lead.

Long Island’s lead grew to 4-0 after five innings when Dickerson slapped a two-run double. Three more runs in the sixth, including RBI singles from Jonathan Guzman and Boog Powell, put the Ducks on top 7-0.

In the eighth, Guzman doubled, moved to third, and scored on a groundout by Powell to complete the Ducks scoring.

The Rockers are now 7-5 in the second half of the Atlantic League season and 48-27 overall on the season.

Game two of the series is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Truist Point on Saturday. The Rockers will send lefty Justin Nicolino (2-0, 4.50 ERA) to the mound to face the Ducks’ Joe Iorio (3-5, 6.97). The gae will be streamed live on FLO Baseball and also available on the Mixlr app.

GASTONIA, N.C. – The High Point Rockers’ offense slept through most of the first innings in dropping a 10-5 decision to Gastonia at CaroMont Health Park on Thursday night.

The Rockers managed just three hits through the first six innings and fell behind Gastonia 10-1 before rallying for four runs in the eighth. But in the end, it was Gastonia that earned the win and moved one-half game in front of High Point in the Atlantic League’s South Division second half race. The Honey Hunters are now 7-3 in the second half while the Rockers are 7-4.

Beau Taylor, Ben Aklinski and Brian Parreira each had a pair of hits for the Rockers with Aklinski driving in a pair of runs.

Gastonia was able to touch High Point starter Mitch Atkins (L, 0-1) for seven hits and six runs as he made his second start of the season after a long rehab period following an arm injury. Atkins did not issue a walk and struck out four while hitting one batter.

The Honey Hunters scored once in the second on a Luis Curbelo sac fly. But it was the five-run third inning that put the Rockers behind 6-0. Kevin Santa drilled an RBI single and Scott Manea contributed a two-run single before David Washington slammed a two-run homer.

The Rockers were able to score on a Parreira sac fly in the fourth and the score remained 6-1 until the seventh. Gastonia added four more runs off reliever Joe Johnson, using a two-run single by Pedro Gonzalez, and RBI singles from Washington and Curbelo.

The Rockers bats woke up in the top of the eighth. Aklinski drove home a pair of runs on a single and Daikan Yoh added an RBI single. Michael Martinez grounded out to force in a run and cut Gastonia’s lead to 10-5.

High Point will open a six-game homestand on Friday, July 21 when the Rockers entertain the Long Island Ducks. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. and it will be Agriculture Night at Truist Point with postgame fireworks.

GASTONIA, N.C. – The High Point Rockers overcame an early 2-1 deficit and withstood a bases-loaded situation in the ninth to defeat Gastonia 9-5 on Wednesday night at CaroMont Health Park.

The Rockers are 48-25 overall on the season and 7-3 in the second half. High Point holds a half-game lead over 6-3 Gastonia in the race for the second half pennant in the South Division.

Trailing 2-1 after four innings, the Rockers scored four times in the fifth to take a 5-2 lead. Gastonia starter Gunnar Kines (L, 8-3) had retired eight straight Rockers when Ryan Grotjohn led off the fifth with a walk. Ben Aklinski singled into the left field corner, allowing Grotjohn to move to third but Aklinski was cut down trying to stretch the single into a double. Brian Parreira then flew out to right field, allowing Grotjohn to score on the sac fly and tie the game at 2-2. With two outs, D.J. Burt and Michael Russell each reached on soft singles to left field, bringing Shed Long, Jr. to the plate. Long, Jr. bounced a ground ball to third where Gastonia’s Pedro Gonzalez fielded the ball cleanly but threw it wide of first, allowing both Burt and Russell to score to put High Point ahead 4-2. After Daikan Yoh was hit by a pitch, Quincy Latimore doubled into the left field corner, scoring Long, Jr for a 5-2 Rocker lead.

Gastonia’s Zach Jarrett hit a solo homer off Rocker starter Jheyson Manzueta (W, 3-0) in the bottom of the fifth to make it a 5-3 game. The Rockers answered back in the top of the eighth with Parreira lining his sixth homer of the year over the fence in right field to extend the Rockers’ advantage to 6-3.

Gastonia tallied a pair of runs against reliever Jameson McGrane in the eighth. Braxton Davidson reached on a fielder’s choice and stole second. A walk to Scott Manea put two runners aboard in front of an RBI single by Eric De La Rosa that scored Davidson. David Washington then singled to plate Manea and make it a 6-5 game going to the ninth.

With one out in the ninth, Latimore reached on an infield single to short, his third hit of the game. John Daly was the designated pinch-runner and he scored easily from first when Taylor sent a double to left-center, raising High Point’s lead to 7-5. Aklinski then popped his 11^th homer of the year to left-center, scoring Taylor ahead of him, to give the Rockers a 9-5 advantage.

Gastonia loaded the bases against High Point’s Ryan Dull in the bottom of the ninth on a pair of infield errors and a walk but Dull was able to retire the side on a strikeout and a pair of flyballs to the outfield.

Johnni Turbo homered in the bottom of the first inning, his second of the year, to give the Honey Hunters a 1-0 lead. The Rockers tied it in the second when Latimore singled and took third on a single by Taylor. Grotjohn’s sac fly to left was deep enough to give Latimore time to tag and score.

In the fourth, Gastonia took a 2-1 lead when Eric De La Rosa walked, took second on a balk by High Point starter Jheyson Manzueta, then scored on a double to left by Luis Curbelo.

Latimore finished the night with three hits, including a double and an RBI. Russell, Taylor, Aklinski, Parreira and Burt each had a pair of hits as part of High Point’s 13-hit attack. Jarrett had three of Gastonia’s seven hits on the night.

Game three of the series is scheduled for Thursday at 6:35 p.m. at CaroMont Health Park. The game will be streamed live on FLO Baseball and is also available on the Mixlr app.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – High Point’s Daikan Yoh reached base five times, scoring twice, and Joe Johnson had his best offensive day as a Rocker as High Point swept the weekend series from Lexington with an 8-3 win on Sunday afternoon at Counter Clocks Field.

The Rockers improved to a league-best 47-24 on the season by winning their fourth straight game. They are in first place in the Atlantic League’s South Division at 6-2 in the second half of the season.

With the Rockers holding a narrow 4-3 lead in the ninth, Yoh reached base on a walk, his third walk of the game. He then raced to third on a single by Brian Parreira before Emmanuel Tapia lined a double off the center field wall, scoring both Yoh and Parreira for a 6-3 advantage. Johnson, the former High Point Panther, then blasted his first homer as a Rocker, scoring Tapia ahead of him and giving High Point a comfortable 8-3 margin.

The Rockers’ Ryan Dull allowed a hit and a walk in the bottom of the ninth but was aided by a 3-6-3 double play turned by Tapia and Shed Long, Jr.

Johnson, who has been starting in left field in recent games, drove in three runs and scored once. Yoh finished 2-for-2 with a homer and three walks while Tapia slammed a pair of doubles.

Lexington starter Merandy Gonzalez struggled with his control right from the first inning. After coaxing ground outs from Long, Jr. and D.J. Burt to start the contest, Gonzalez threw 12 straight pitches out of the strike zone to walk the bases loaded with Zander Wiel, Yoh and Ben Aklinski. Gonzalez then hit Parreira with a 1-0 pitch to force in the first run of the game before getting Michael Martinez to strike out and end the inning.

Lexington knotted the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the first on a solo homer by Brandt Broussard, his first of the year.  Broussard continued to swing a hot bat, doubling home two runs in the second to give the Counter Clocks a 3-1 lead.

Yoh hit a solo homer to straightaway center field in the third to pull the Rockers to within one at 3-2.  High Point tied the game in the fourth when Martinez walked, moved to second on a disengagement violation by Gonzalez, stole third and then scored on a groundout by Johnson.

The Rockers forged a 4-3 lead in the top of the eighth when Tapia led off the inning with a ground-rule double to right-center. John Daly was the designated pinch-runner and took Tapia’s place at second. A Johnson ground out moved Daly to third and he then scored the go-ahead run on a sac fly by D.J. Burt.

Lexington’s J.C. Encarnacion reached third with one out in the bottom of the eighth with the ‘Clocks trailing by one but Bryce Hensley (W, 5-1) fanned Mitch Ghelfi and Cam Bedrosian came on to strikeout  Jesus Tavarez to quell the threat.

All four of the Rockers’ runs in the eighth and ninth innings came off reliever Joey Steele (L, 0-2). The Counter Clocks walked 12 High Point hitters on the day with Gonzalez contributing seven free passes.

The Rockers will enjoy an off-day on Monday, July 17, before returning to action on Tuesday when they start a three-game series at Gastonia. First pitch on Tuesday from CaroMont Health Park is set for 6:35 p.m.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Shed Long, Jr. led off the game with a solo homer and two batters later, Zander Wiel clubbed a two-run homer to lead the High Point Rockers to a 7-3 win over the Lexington Counter Clocks on Saturday night at Counter Clocks Field.

Those two first inning homers staked the Rockers to an early 3-0 lead but the Counter Clocks responded quickly. Connor Owings singled in the first and would eventually score on a wild pitch to make it a 3-1 game. Lexington pulled to within 3-2 in the second when Hector Roa tripled and scored on a single by Brandt Broussard.

After allowing those two early runs, High Point starter Ryan Weiss (W, 5-2) settled down and did not allow another run over the course of his seven innings of work. Weiss left after the seventh, having walked just two and striking out eight.

High Point added a pair of runs in the third when Ben Aklinski reached on an error and scored on a triple by Daikan Yoh. Brian Parreira then slapped an RBI single to plate Yoh and put the Rockers ahead 5-1. The Rockers added two more runs in the eighth when Michael Martinez lined a pitch off the wall in left with two outs and the bases loaded.

High Point’s Sam Selman allowed Lexington an unearned run in the eighth on a pair of walks and a double fielding error to account for the 7-3 final.

The Rockers improved to 46-24 on the season and now stand at 5-2 in the second half of the Atlantic League season.

The final game of this three game series is slated for 2:05 p.m. start on Sunday. The game will be streamed live on FLO Baseball and also available on the Mixlr app.