Rockers feast on Blue Crabs, 19-4

June 24, 2023 by Steve Shutt

WALDORF, Md. – The High Point Rockers unleashed an offensive onslaught on Southern Maryland on Saturday, posting a 19-4 win over the Blue Crabs at Regency Furniture Stadium.

The Rockers improved to 35-16 on the year with the win while Gastonia (36-15) remained in first in the Atlantic League South Division following a 12-3 win at Staten Island.

The Rockers’ offense began when D.J. Burt led off the contest by reaching on an error. Burt moved to second on a single by Shed Long, Jr. and then took third on a long flyout to right by Zander Wiel. Beau Taylor grounded to first and the Blue Crabs retired Long, Jr. at second as Burt scored.

In the second, the Rockers put four more runs on the board as Emmanuel Tapia supplied an RBI single, Long, Jr. belted a two-run homer and Michael Martinez brought in a run on a fielder’s choice. The lead grew to 7-0 in the third when Daikan Yoh and Ryan Grotjohn singled and then scored on ground outs by Martinez and Ben Aklinski.

The Blue Crabs got to Nicolino for three runs in the bottom of the third. With the bases loaded, Nicolino forced in a run with a walk to Jack Sundberg. Ground outs by Philip Caulfield and Braxton Lee plated two more runs to make it a 7-3 game.

After a scoreless fourth inning, High Point added five runs in the fifth for a 12-3 lead. Pitcher A.J. Cole, who came on in relief of Nicolino, hit a solo homer to lead off the fifth, becoming the first Rockers pitcher to ever hit a homer. Long, Jr. delivered a two-run single and Beau Taylor and Yoh each moved runs across the plate with ground outs.

High Point extended the lead to 15-4 with a three-run seventh inning. Blue Crab reliever Josh Martin walked Yoh and Grotjohn then hit Ben Aklinski with a pitch to load the bases. Rockers reliever Bryce Hensley then bounced a single to left that scored two more runs. John Daly brought home the final run of the inning with a fielder’s choice.

High Point tacked on four more runs in the top of the ninth as Martinez singled home one, Zander Wiel walked with the bases loaded to force home a second run and Taylor delivered a two-run bases loaded double.

Lefty Justin Nicolino made his first start for the Rockers since returning to the club on Friday, throwing three innings and allowing just one hit while walking three and striking out two. Cole went two innings and fanned three while allowing two hits and a run.

Long, Jr. finished with three hits and four RBI while Taylor and Hensley each drove in two runs. Taylor, Yoh and Grotjohn each had a pair of hits and Aklinski scored three runs.

Game three of the series is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. on Sunday at Regency Furniture Stadium. The game can be watched via livestream on FloBaseball and the audio is on the Mixlr app.

Rockers slam Freddies, 12-4

May 5, 2023 by Steve Shutt

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Ben Aklinski tied club records with four extra base hits and 13 total bases as the High Point Rockers took a 12-4 decision from the Frederick Baseball Club on Friday night in front of 2,014 fans at Truist Point.

While Aklinski shined at the plate, Rockers lefty Ben Braymer was outstanding on the mound, shutting out Frederick for six innings. Braymer has now pitched 12 innings for the Rockers this seaso and allowed just four hits and no runs while walking just one and fanning 11.

“It was another great performance by Ben Braymer,” said Rockers manager Jamie Keefe. “Benny was outstanding. We probably could have pushed him a little further but there’s no sense in doing that. He threw 64 pitches the other day, 74 pitches tonight.”

The Rockers pounded out 15 hits, led by Aklinski’s five including two home runs, a pair of doubles and a single. On the night, High Point slammed five home runs including solo shots by John Nogowski and Zander Wiel who went back-to-back in the first inning, and D.J. Burt who hit a two-run homer in the second. Aklinski accounted for four RBI with his two-run homer in the fifth and a solo homer in the eighth.

“The bats are going well. The guys are just having good at-bats, that’s all it is,” said Keefe. “There were a lot of bright spots. These guys are out to win.”

“I’ve been working with George (Greer), our hitting coach,” said Aklinski. “He’s helped with a few mechanical things. I felt really good at the plate tonight.”

The Rockers scored in seven out of eight at-bats on Friday, taking a 6-0 lead after three and then adding six more runs after going down in order in the fourth.

Braymer (2-0) struck out nine Frederick players and did not allow a walk while yielding just four hits over his six innings of work. Wiel, Daikan Yoh and Burt each finished with a pair of hits as the Rockers moved to 6-1 on the season by winning their fourth straight game. The Rockers are tied for first in the Atlantic League’s South Division with Gastonia with identical 6-1 records.

High Point and Frederick will meet again on Saturday at 6:35 p.m. at Truist Point in game two of the four-game series.

Rockers sweep Dirty Birds 5/4/23

May 4, 2023 by admin

Rockers sweep Dirty Birds 5/4/23

HIGH POINT, NC – The High Point Rockers squeaked out a down-to-the-wire 4-3 win to pick up a sweep over the Charleston Dirty Birds in an exciting affair from Truist Point on Thursday night. The victory lifts the Rockers to 5-1 on the season and into a first-place tie in the South Division.

The Rockers once again jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first when John Nogowski blasted a no-doubt two-run homer to left field that sent High Point out to a 2-0 edge. Later in the inning following a Zander Wiel free pass, Ben Aklinski slapped a base hit to the outfield that plated a third Rockers run and the home team led 3-0 after a frame.

High Point’s starter, Liam O’Sullivan, who had just signed with the club earlier in the day, worked through five admirable innings. The right-hander’s only blip on the radar was a solo homer off the bat of Luis Roman, who cleared the fence and made the score 3-1 in the fourth.

To his credit, Charleston hurler Kit Scheetz settled in nicely after being roughed up in the first inning, hanging four straight zeroes before being lifted from the ballgame after five innings of work against a sizzling Rockers lineup, holding them in check through the middle innings and provided his team with a chance.

O’Sullivan gave way to Cam Cotter out of the bullpen in the sixth, but the Dirty Birds clawed a little closer when Bobby Bradley demolished a moonshot to make it a 3-2 game after five and a half.

With the Rockers in much need of some insurance down the stretch, Shed Long answered the call, lifting his second home run in as many days to straightaway center field off the batter’s eye and it gave the Rockers a bit of separation and made the score 4-2.

Charleston didn’t go down without a fight, with still some gas left in the tank in the eighth the Dirty Birds loaded the bags against High Point reliever Mickey Jannis. Pinch batter Montrell Marshall whiffed over the top of a fluttering knuckler for out number one, and then Jannis was able to induce a ground ball and the Rockers infield turned a 6-4-3 double play to keep their slim lead intact. It was the fourth double play of the ballgame spun by the Rockers infield, tying a club record.

In the ninth, more drama followed. Jameson McGrane entered the fret looking to collect his first save of the campaign, and it appeared he would do so rather easily, fanning the first two hitters he saw. However, down to their final out, the Dirty Birds found one last gasp. Two straight singles brought up Dwight Smith Jr., who ripped a liner down the right field line. One run crossed the plate, but a perfect throw to the cut-off man from Ben Aklinski allowed Michael Russell to fire a strike to the plate, cutting down the game-tying run and preserving the win for the Rockers.

The 4-3 final pushes High Point into a first-place tie with the Gastonia Honey Hunters atop the South Division. At 5-1, High Point has now tied their best start in franchise history with the 2021 club. The Rockers will get set for the third stanza of the home stand tomorrow night when they welcome Frederick for the first ever meeting between the two squads. The first pitch is tabbed for 6:35 as High Point will send former big leaguer Ben Braymer to the bump for his second start of 2023.

Rockers stay hot against Dirty Birds 5/3/23

May 3, 2023 by admin

Rockers stay hot against Dirty Birds 5/3/23

HIGH POINT, NC – The High Point Rockers continued their blistering hot start to the season, posting 11 runs behind 13 hits as they cruised to a second consecutive win by an 11-1 final. Starter Brandon Leibrandt was spectacular over four scoreless frames, while the bullpen held serve yet again allowing just a single run the rest of the way.

High Point got the scoring started in the second inning after a pair of singles set the table for Dai-Kang Yoh who promptly lifted a sacrifice fly to bring home the game’s first run and make it 1-0. Two batters later it was DJ Burt who joined in on the action, sending a liner into the outfield that scored another pair of runs and stretched the lead to 3-0.

In the bottom of the third, Shed Long Jr. provided more padding to the lead, belting his first homer of the season to deep right field and that inched the High Point edge to 4-0. One inning later, the Rockers continued to pour it on, sending eight batters to the plate. Ryan Grotjohn walked to lead off the inning and Burt immediately brought him around on a wall-ball double to make the game 5-0. Michael Russell was next to stand in, who laced a single to right-center that brought Burt around to the dish.

Charleston posted their lone run in the top of the fifth on a Dwight Smith Jr. RBI groundout. In their next at-bat in the bottom of the inning, High Point once again unleashed an offensive onslaught, tallying four runs thanks to a Grotjohn RBI triple, while Long Jr. and John Nogowski ripped back-to-back RBI doubles. All told, the Rockers led 10-1 after five innings of play.

The Rockers capped off the scoring in the sixth inning with Michael Russell’s second RBI knock of the night, which was provided by a trio of walks that prolonged the inning. In all, High Point flashed an abundance of patience, equaling a season-high mark, drawing nine walks for a second consecutive evening.

The bullpen carried the ballgame to the finish line, turning in five innings of one-run baseball, closing out an 11-1 victory. The Rockers have now outscored the Dirty Birds 27-1 in the series, and are eyeing their first sweep of the campaign tomorrow night at Truist Point, with first pitch slated for 6:35 p.m. ET.

Rockers stay hot against Dirty Birds 5/3/23

Rockers beat up Dirty Birds

May 2, 2023 by Steve Shutt

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point Rockers pounded out 18 hits while holding Charleston to just four in taking a 16-0 win over the Dirty Birds on Tuesday night at Truist Point. Righty Neil Ramirez had a successful Rockers debut, holding Charleston to just one hit over five innings.

Michael Russell continued his hot hitting, collecting three hits including a double. Russell became the first Rocker to reach 300 career hits and tied the club record by hitting a double in his fourth consecutive game. John Nogowski had five RBI including a three-run homer in the second and an RBI double in the seventh. Seven of High Point’s nine starters had at least two hits.

Rockers beat up Dirty Birds — Michael Russell (Photo by Hannah Lind)

The Rockers struck for three runs in the bottom of the first. Shed Long, Jr. led off the game with a double, took third on a fly out to right by Russell and scored on a ground out by Nogowski. With two outs, Charleston starter Eddie Butler walked Zander Wiel and then hit Ben Aklinski with a pitch to put a pair of runners aboard. Catcher Beau Taylor singled up the middle to plate one run before Daikan Yoh lined a single to left to bring home Aklinski and give the Rockers a 3-0 lead.

The Rockers doubled the score in the second when Long, Jr. walked with one out and Russell doubled into the left field corner before Nogowski hit a three-run homer for a 6-0 advantage.

The score remained 6-0 until the fifth when Taylor singled, moved to third on a double by shortstop Ryan Grotjohn and scored on a single by D.J. Burt.

The Dirty Birds had the sky cave in in the eighth when the Rockers scored eight runs on six hits and an error. High Point sent 13 hitters to the plate in falling one run short of the all-time single inning scoring record of nine.

Ramirez made nifty work of the Charleston line-up, facing 17 batters in his five innings of work, striking out three and walking just one. He set down the first 11 Dirty Birds he faced before allowing a single to Dawel Lugo with two outs in the fourth. Cam Cotter, Gabriel Castellanos, Jameson McGrane and Austin Ross each pitched a scoreless inning in relief.

High Point will continue its homestand on Wednesday when it hosts Charleston for game two of the series. Game time is set for 6:35 p.m. at Truist Point.

Rockers drop 5-2 decision to Long Island

April 30, 2023 by Steve Shutt

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The Long Island Ducks rode the hot bat of second baseman Daniel Murphy to take a 5-2 win over the High Point Rockers on Sunday afternoon at Truist Point.

Murphy, a three-time National League All-Star with the Mets and Nationals, hit a two-run homer in the first and added an RBI double in the eighth to spearhead the Ducks’ offensive attack.

Murphy’s homer gave the Ducks a 2-0 lead in the first and they would extend the lead to 3-0 when Luis Guerrero hit a solo homer leading off the fifth.

The Rockers made it a 3-1 game in the sixth when Michael Russell started the frame with a single before stealing second and third and scoring on an RBI single by Zander Wiel.

Long Island added a pair of runs off reliever Mickey Jannis in the eighth when Adeiny Hechavarria and Murphy hit back-to-back doubles before Murphy scored on a passed ball.

The Rockers rallied in the ninth when D.J. Burt doubled with two outs and scored on a triple by Shed Long, Jr. But Ducks’ closer Al Alburquerque retired John Nogowski to end the game and cement the 5-2 win.

Rockers drop 5-2 decision to Long Island — Shed Long, Jr. (Photo by Worth Canoy)

The Rockers were led by Long, Jr. who had three hits including a double and a triple, and Russell who notched multiple hits for the third straight game.

James Marvel, in his first start as a Rocker, took the loss while throwing five innings, allowing four hits and striking out three. Long Island starter Stephen Woods, Jr. went fie innings and struckout six while allowing no runs and just four base hits.

“It was a well-played game,” said Rockers manager Jamie Keefe. “We battled all day and we had the best we could hope for, to have the tying run at the plate in the ninth. James (Marvel) controlled the zone, he just threw one bad pitch to (Murphy).

“Long Island played good defense and Murphy, he is such a good hitter, he’ll be back in the Major Leagues before the end of this year. We have to look at this weekend as we took two out of three and in that last one, we had a chance to tie the game in the ninth. That’s all we can ask for.”

The Rockers finished the game with 10 hits to nine for the Ducks. But seven of Long Island’s hits went for extra bases including five doubles and two home runs. Three of High Point’s hits were for extra bases including Long, Jr.’s double and triple and a double from Burt.

The Rockers will have Monday off before continuing their homestand with a three-game series with the Charleston Dirty Birds. Game one of the series is slated for 6:35 p.m. on Tuesday, May 2 with Neil Ramirez on the mound for the Rockers.