HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point Rockers are headed to the Atlantic League Championship series after winning the South Division title on Sunday with an 8-7 win over the Gastonia Honey Hunters at Truist Point.

Tied 7-7 in the bottom of the eighth, Giovanny Alfonzo led off the inning with a double into the rightfield corner. Logan Moore’s sacrifice bunt moved Alfonzo to third with just one out. Michael Russell then took a full swing at a 2-1 pitch and hit a slow dribbler up the first base line. Gastonia first baseman Luis Castro tried to pickup the ball and tag Russell on his way to first but was unable to do so. Russell’s 45-foot single brought Alfonzo in from third with the go-ahead run.

“That’s the favorite hit of my life,” said Russell. “That’s as good as it gets right there.”

The Rockers will now advance to the Atlantic League Championship series against the Lancaster Barnstormers who beat Southern Maryland on Sunday in another Game 5. The best-of-five Championship will open Tuesday night at Truist Point with game two slated for Wednesday, also at Truist Point.

Reliever Ryan Dull pitched the final two innings and earned the win, his first of the playoffs. The final out was a called strike three on pinch-hitter Alex Holderbach. It was Dull’s third strikeout of the ninth inning.

That the game was close is a testament to the resilience of Gastonia. Honey Hunter starter John Anderson, who handcuffed the Rockers on Tuesday night and held them to just three hits over five innings in the series opener, was greeted with a different fate on Sunday. Michael Russell led off the bottom of the first with a double and Ben Aklinski beat out a bunt single to put runners on the corners. Logan Morrison continued his hot postseason hitting by slashing an RBI single to score Russell. Quincy Latimore then belted a three-run homer off the batter’s eye in center to put High Point up 4-0. Zander Wiel followed with a solo homer that led to Anderson being lifted after allowing five hits and five runs without recording an out.

“We were due,” said Latimore following the game. “I’ve played a lot of games against John Anderson. I’ve played against him in Mexico, in Australia, in this league, and I hit a home run off him every year. But I hadn’t hit one this year so I said ‘maybe today is the day.’ And lo and behold, I got one in the first at-bat.”

High Point starter Craig Stem allowed just one hit through the first two innings before Gastonia shortstop Jack Reinheimer hit a solo homer in the top of the third to cut the lead to 5-1. The Rockers got that run back in bottom half of the inning when Latimore doubled, stole third, and scored on a single by Tyler Ladendorf.

High Point extended its lead to 7-1 in the fifth when Morrison was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a Gastonia fielding error, took third on a walk to Wiel and scored on a sac fly by Ladendorf.

Stem did not allow another run through the fourth and fifth but ran into trouble in the sixth. Jake Skole doubled and scored on a single by Jaylen Smith. A Cole Freeman double plated Smith and a double by Reece Hampton brought home Freeman as Gastonia tightened the game to 7-4. Lefty Gabriel Castellanos came in from the bullpen and fanned Reinheimer to help the Rockers escape the inning.

A bevy of Gastonia relievers kept High Point off the board in the sixth and seventh innings. The Honey Hunters then made it a one-run game in the seventh off High Point reliever Tyler Higgins. Zach Jarrett hit a one-out single and Castro blasted a homer to right to make it a 7-6 game.

Dull came on in the eighth and cruised through the first two outs. But Hampton pulled a pitch down the line and over the rightfield wall to tie the game at 7-7 and set off a celebration in the Gastonia dugout.

Dull wasn’t rattled by Hampton’s game-tying homer in the eighth.

“I told myself it was just one run and I needed to keep it at that and limit the damage, give our guys a chance,” said Dull. “Ben Aklinski came up to me in the dugout and said ‘We got you, we got you.’ (Catcher) Logan (Moore) and I were on the same page with their hitters. We were just going to try and pitch to weak contact or make them swing and miss.”

That celebration was short-lived as Russell’s squib single was enough to put the Rockers back in front.

“We fought these guys tooth and nail all year long, through 41 games,” said Rockers manager Jamie Keefe. “Gastonia left it all out on the field. They have nothing to be ashamed of. They had one heckuva a year and they’ve got some amazing players. (Manager Mauro) Goose (Gozzo) did a nice job of running the club.

“Anderson has had our number all year. We couldn’t touch him until tonight.  We knew we had to be aggressive and that’s what we came out and tried to do.”

“This place (Truist Point) was electric tonight,” said Keefe. “And for us to win this game at home, it is a very sweet feeling.”

“We knew this game was going to be a fight,” said Dull. “Everybody in that clubhouse was just fighting to the very end.”

NOTES: If an MVP were to be chosen for the ALPB Division Series, certainly High Point’s Logan Morrison would have been the recipient. The Major League veteran hit .579 (11-for-19) with two doubles, two homers and nine RBI in the five-game series . . . Russell hit .333 (7-for-21) in the series . . . Latimore’s five RBI in the series were second to Morrison’s team-high nine . . . Craig Stem, who won High Point’s first-ever postseason game on Wednesday, is now joined by Dull and Neil Uskali with one postseason win  . . . Stem’s nine strikeouts in the series leads the pitching staff.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point Rockers forced a decisive Game 5 in the Atlantic League South Division Championship by beating Gastonia 6-1 on Saturday night in front of a raucous crowd at Truist Point.

High Point and Gastonia will meet at 4:35 p.m. on Sunday at Truist Point with the winner advancing to the Atlantic League Championship Series. Sunday’s winner will meet the winner of the North Division Championship between Lancaster, Pa. and Southern Maryland. That series is going to a fifth game as well after Lancaster’s 15-5 win on Saturday night. Tickets for the critical Rockers-Honey Hunters contest are priced at $10 and are available at the Rockers Ticket Office starting at 1 p.m. Sunday or online at HighPointRockers.com.

Zander Wiel and Roldani Baldwin each hit critical two-run homers for the Rockers to support the three-hit pitching of Rockers’ starter Neil Uskali.

Uskali almost didn’t make it through the first inning. He walked Reece Hampton to open the game then allowed an RBI double to Jack Reinheimer. Uskali then walked Joseph Rosa and, after retiring the next two hitters, hit Luis Castro with a pitch to load the bases. After a mound visit from pitching coach Frank Viola, Uskali escaped after allowing just the lone run. He then proceeded to retire the next 12 batters in order as the Rockers built a 4-1 lead.

“He was almost out of there quick,” said manager Jamie Keefe of Uskali’s first inning troubles. “I almost went to the bullpen early. But after that, he grabbed the ball and he was lights out. It was beautiful.”

After escaping the first, the Rockers responded with a four-run bottom of the first. Michael Russell beat out an infield single to open the inning and scored when Logan Morrison hit an RBI double.  Morrison scored on an RBI single by Quincy Latimore to put the Rockers ahead 2-1. That’s when Wiel unloaded his first homer of the postseason, scoring Latimore ahead of him for a 4-1 High Point advantage.

Gastonia didn’t generate another baserunner until Hampton and Reinheimer had back-to-back singles with two outs in the fifth but were stranded when Rosa flew out to left. Uskali put the Honey Hunters down in order in the sixth and sandwiched two outs around a walk in the seventh before Keefe went to Tyler Higgins out of the bullpen. Higgins retired all four hitters he faced through the eighth inning and Ryan Dull had a 1-2-3 inning in the ninth with a pair of strikeouts to close out the contest.

Roldani Baldwin hit his first homer of the postseason with Tyler Ladendorf aboard in the bottom of the eighth to add insurance to the 6-1 lead.

Usakali went 6.2 innings, allowed three hits and one run while walking three and striking out three.

“Neil pitched his butt off and the two guys who came out of the bullpen pitched their butts off, too,” said Keefe.

Keefe was asked what turned it around for Uskali after the early hiccup.

“Like (catcher) Logan Moore said, we have to flip the script on them,” said Keefe. “We can’t pitch them the same way we’ve pitched them all year, and that’s what we did. He got the two-seamer going.”

While the announced crowd at Truist Point numbered over 1,600, it was a lively, loud and partisan crowd that fueled the Rockers throughout the game.

“This is probably as loud as it gets,” said Keefe of the Saturday night crowd at Truist Point. “If we can get this same crowd tomorrow, if you can’t get up for them, you can’t get up for anything.”

 

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Four Gastonia pitchers limited High Point to just two hits as the Honey Hunters took a 2-1 series lead in the Atlantic League South Division Championship with an 8-2 win on Friday night in front of 2,660 fans at Truist Point.

Gastonia starter Gunnar Kines went six innings and allowed both hits, a two-run homer to Ben Aklinski in the fifth inning and a single to Logan Morrison in the sixth, as the Honey Hunters built a 4-0 lead. Three Gastonia relievers put the Rockers down in order in each of the final three innings.

High Point starter Mitch Atkins (L, 0-1) went five innings, allowing six hits and four runs. He allowed a solo homer to Joseph Rosa in the first that put Gastonia up 1-0. In the fourth, Zach Jarrett doubled home a run and Jake Skole tripled home Jarrett as Gastonia went up 4-0.

High Point’s Zander Wiel drew a lead-off walk from Kines leading off the fifth and Ben Aklinski hit a two-run homer to left to cut the deficit to 4-2.

The Rockers gave up four runs in the sixth as reliever Junior Rincon faced four batters and three of them scored. After striking out Jarrett, Rincon yielded a triple to Skole, walked Herlis Rodrigues and walked Cole Freeman. Reliever Bryce Hensley came on and allowed a sac fly to pinch-hitter Luis Castro as Gastonia went up 5-2. But three consecutive singles brought home two more runs and the Honey Hunters held an 8-2 lead after six.

“Mitch gave us enough to win,” said Rockers manager Jamie Keefe. “They got to our bullpen tonight. But we’ll be ready to go tomorrow. We will be hitting on all cylinders.”

Gastonia was led by Rosa, Jarrett, Skole and Holderbach who each had a pair of hits.

Game Four of the best-of-five series will start at 6:35 p.m. Saturday at Truist Point. The Rockers will send righty Neil Uskali (5-5, 5.38) to the mound to face Gastnia’s righy Matt Solter (5-12, 4.15).

Should the Rockers win to even the series at 2-2, the decisive Game Five will be played at Truist Point on Sunday at 4:05 p.m.

GASTONIA, N.C. – Oh, what a difference 24 hours can make.

A day after dropping a 12-1 decision in the opening game of the Atlantic League’s South Division Championship series, the High Point Rockers bounced back with a decisive 11-4 win over the Gastonia Honey Hunters at CaroMont Health Park in Gastonia on Wednesday night.

The best-of-five series now shifts to Truist Point where the Rockers will be home for the next two games on Friday and Saturday and, if necessary, a critical Game Five on Sunday.

Rockers first baseman Logan Morrison on Wednesday night exhibited the same offensive ability he showed in 2017 when he finished fifth in the American League with 38 home runs for Tampa Bay. Morrison slammed a three-run homer and a grand slam to pace the Rockers in the Game Two win. His seven RBI are the most-ever by a Rocker in a postseason game.

But Morrison received plenty of help from Michael Russell, who had three hits including a homer, and Jerry Downs and Quincy Latimore who were on base for each of Morrison’s homers.

“Craig Stem and (catcher) Mike Gulino have been outstanding all year. We had a plan and we stuck to it,” said Rockers manager Jamie Keefe. “Obviously, LoMo had a pretty decent day. And when guys like Quincy (Latimore) and Jerry (Downs) get on base in front of him, good things happen. We wanted to take one down here and now we go home and play three. That’s all we could ask for.”

The Rockers were on the offensive from the third pitch of the game as Russell was hit by that pitch. Ben Aklinski reached on a fielder’s choice before Downs singled to left. Latimore then brought Aklinski around to score with a double before Morrison unloaded his first homer to put High Point up 4-0.

Gastonia’s Jake Skole singled home a pair of runs in the bottom of the first to draw the Honey Hunters with 4-2. But Russell got one run back with his solo homer in the second, staking High Point to a 5-2 lead.

In the third, High Point starter Craig Stem (W, 1-0) ran into a jam as he allowed a double by Reece Hampton then issued walks to Jack Reinhimer and Joseph Rosa. Another walk to Zach Jarrett forced in a run to cut High Point’s lead to 5-3. But Stem got Skole to pop out and Luis Castro grounded into a double play to escape the frame.

In the fifth, Morrison instigated another High Point rally. He singled with one out and Zander Wiel followed with another single. After a walk by Tyler Ladendorf loaded the bases, Michael Martinez drilled a two-run single to left as the Rockers went up 7-3.

The Rockers put the offense in full gear in the sixth. Russell singled to open the frame, and Downs and Latimore drew walks to load the bases for Morrison who hit the grand slam to right center for an 11-3 lead.

Skole smashed a solo homer in the bottom of the eighth to cut High Point’s lead to 11-4.

Stem went 5.2 innings and allowed five hits and three runs while striking out six and walking an uncharacteristic six. Bryce Hensley came on in the sixth.

Game Three is slated for Truist Point on Friday night at 6:35 p.m. with the Rockers sending Mitch Atkins (3-0, 3.91) against Gastonia’s Gunnar Kines (1-0, 3.86). Game Four will be at 6:35 p.m. on Saturday and, if necessary, Game Five would be at 4:05 p.m. on Sunday at Truist Point.

NOTES: The win marked High Point’s first-ever postseason win. The Rockers were swept in three games by Long Island in 2019. Craig Stem became the first pitcher in Rockers history to win a postseason game.

GASTONIA, N.C. – The High Point Rockers will look to rebound on Wednesday after dropping Game One of the Atlantic League South Division Championship series by a score of 12-1 on Tuesday night at Gastonia’s CaroMont Health Park. Five Gastonia pitchers held the Rockers to just five hits in the contest.

The best-of-five series will continue Wednesday at 6:15 p.m. as the Rockers will send RHP Craig Stem (7-6, 4.01) to the mound against Gastonia RHP Alex Sanabia (7-5, 3.88).

The Honey Hunters were paced by Herlis Rodriguez who had four hits including a grand slam, and Jack Reinheimer who collected three hits.

Gastonia took a 1-0 lead in the second when Luis Castro hit a solo homer to left to give the Honey Hunters the early lead. The Rockers tied the game on a Jerry Downs solo homer to right off starter John Anderson in the top of the fourth. After Quincy Latimore flew out to the wall in right, Anderson walked Logan Morrison and hit Zander Wiel in the front foot with a pitch to put runners on first and second. Ben Aklinski slapped a single to left but Reece Hampton threw Morrison out at the plate as he tried to score from second.

In the fifth, Gastonia scored six times to take a 7-1 lead. Hampton drew a lead-off walk from Jannis and Reinheimer singled to put runners on the corners. After Reinheimer stole second, Joseph Rosa singled to center to plate Hampton. Following a mound visit from pitching coach Frank Viola, Jannis fanned Zach Jarrett but Jake Skole countered with an RBI single. Castro drew a walk to load the bases and Rodriguez then hit a grand slam to right to give the Honey Hunters a 7-1 advantage.

Skole hit a solo homer in the bottom of the seventh off High Point reliever Seth Frankoff to increase the margin to 8-1. That lead extended to 10-1 when Zach Jarrett hit a two-run homer off Liam O’Sullivan in the bottom of the eighth and then to 12-1 following a two-run single by Cole Freeman, also in the eighth.

Jannis went five innings and allowed eight hits and seven runs while walking four and striking out two. O’Sullivan allowed four hits and four runs in his lone inning of work.

Anderson held the Rockers to just three hits in his five innings of work while walking one and fanning five. Four Gastonia relievers each threw a shutout inning, giving up just two hits over the final four innings.

Notes: Game 2 will be played Wednesday night at 6:15 p.m. at CaroMont Health Park while Game 3 will be at Truist Point on Friday at 6:35 p.m.

YORK, Pa. – The High Point Rockers closed out the 2022 regular season on Sunday afternoon with a 9-3 loss at York. The Rockers will now focus their attention on Tuesday night’s opening game of the best-of-five Atlantic League South Division Championship Series.

The Rockers will open play at Gastonia’s Caromont Health Park on Tuesday at 6:15 p.m. with game two of the series scheduled for Wednesday at Gastonia, also at 6:15 p.m. The Rockers will host Gastonia on Friday, September 23 at Truist Point at 6:35 p.m. Games four and five of the series, if necessary, will be played at Truist Point on Saturday and Sunday.

The Revolution scored a single run in each of the first five innings in building a 5-1 lead over the Rockers. The Rockers were down 2-0 in the third when Joe Johnson walked, moved to third on a single by pitcher Junior Rincon and scored on a sacrifice fly by Michael Russell.

In the sixth, Tyler Ladendorf doubled and moved to third on a wild pitch. Roldani Baldwin doubled to score Ladendorf and pull the Rockers within 5-2. High Point added its final run in the sixth when Johnson again walked, took second on a single by Mike Gulino and scored on a single by pitcher Kyle Mott.

The Rockers used the day to get some work for the bullpen as manager Jamie Keefe readied the starting pitchers for the upcoming playoffs. Junior Rincon (L, 2-3) started and went three innings, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out four.

Mott tossed two innings while Gabriel Castellanos and Bryce Hensley each threw a single inning. The only hurler not to allow a run was infielder Giovanny Alfonzo who allowed a pair of hits in the ninth.

York was led by J.C. Encarnacion and Elmer Reyes who each had three hits. Reyes doubled and homered while driving in three runs as Troy Stokes, Jr. and Josue Herrera added homers for the Revs. York starter Courtney Mack (W, 3-2) went 6.1 innings and struck out seven while allowing six hits and all three High Point runs.

The Rockers will continue preparations for the playoff series with Gastonia on Monday.