Rockers Split Twinbill With Crabs

August 11, 2022 by Steve Shutt

WALDORF, Md. – The High Point Rockers and Southern Maryland Blue Crabs split a doubleheader Thursday afternoon at Regency Furniture Stadium with Southern Maryland winning the first game 2-0 and the Rockers taking the nightcap 5-4.

With the split, the Rockers improve to 12-21 in the second half and 51-48 on the season.

In the first game, starting pitchers Ivan Pineyro (L, 4-3) of High Point and Mitch Lambson (W, 6-7) of Southern Maryland both came out firing. Pineyro did not allow a hit until SMD’s Alex Crosby reached on a Texas Leaguer to left in the fifth. But a Rockers double play eliminated the threat. High Point’s Ben Aklinski doubled in the first but the Rockers did not get another hit until Quincy Latimore doubled in the fifth.

Southern Maryland scored both of its runs in the bottom of the sixth. Ryan Haug was hit by a pitch from Pineyro and Michael Baca singled to center to put runners on the corners. Jack Sundberg singled home one run and Ian Yetsko’s ground out scored Baca for a 2-0 Blue Crab lead.

Lambson put the Rockers down in order in the seventh to preserve the Southern Maryland win.

In game two, the Rockers took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Tyler Ladendorf singled, moved to second on an infield grounder by Jay Gonzalez and scored on a single by Mike Gulino.

But the Blue Crabs scored four times in the second to taka a 4-1 lead. High Point starter Mitch Atkins, making his first start of the season and his first since Sept. 9, 2021, allowed a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases to start the inning. Jack Sundberg doubled home two runs, Michael Wielansky grounded out allowing a third run to score before Braxton Lee singled home the fourth and final run of the inning.

The Rockers pulled within a run after scoring twice in the fourth to make it a 4-3 game. Logan Morrison led off the inning with a single and Ladendorf followed with a double. Jay Gonzalez then produced a swinging bunt that was fielded by Southern Maryland pitcher Eddie Butler, allowing Morrison to score. Gulino’s sacrifice fly brought home Ladendorf.

Aklinski tied the game in the fifth when he doubled to bring home Michael Russell who had led off the inning with a single. High Point took a 5-4 lead in the sixth when Ladendorf doubled off reliever Dalton Geekie (L, 1-3), moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Gonzalez and scored on Gulino’s sacrifice fly.

Tyler Higgins (W, 2-0) came on in relief and earned the last out of the fifth and set the Blue Crabs down in order in the sixth to earn the win.

Ryan Dull set the Blue Crabs down in order in the seventh to earn his 10^th save of the year.

Atkins went 1.2 innings in his season debut and allowed five hits and four runs while walking three.

The Rockers will return home to begin a three-game home series with South Division-leading Gastonia on Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. at Truist Point with a fireworks show following the game.

Rockers Stymied by Blue Crabs, 7-3

August 9, 2022 by Steve Shutt

WALDORF, Md. – Southern Maryland’s Braxton Lee hit three triples and drove in three runs to lead the Blue Crabs to a 7-3 win over High Point in the opening game of a three-game series at Regency Furniture Stadium. SMD’s Alex Merithew (W, 4-2) earned the win by holding the Rockers to just three hits over eight innings while striking out 11.

The lead see-sawed back and forth early with the Rockers taking a 1-0 advantage on a Jerry Downs solo homer in the first. Southern Maryland’s David Harris and Alex Crosby each collected RBIs in the bottom of the first to give the Blue Crabs a 2-1 lead.

Tyler Ladendorf hit his 16^th homer of the year with Quincy Latimore aboard in the second as the Rockers went up 3-2.

But Ladendorf’s homer was High Point’s final hit of the night as Merithew stiffened and didn’t allow the Rockers another hit before leaving after the eighth inning. Endrys Briceno set the Rockers down in order in the ninth to secure the win.

The Rockers managed just two base runners over the final seven innings of the game, both in the third inning, when Downs was hit by a pitch and Zander Wiel reached on an error with each being stranded on base.

Southern Maryland tied the game in the bottom of the third on Lee’s first triple of the night to score Jack Sundberg. Lee then tripled again with two men on in the fifth to put the Blue Crabs up 5-3 before Alex Crosby grounded out to bring home Lee for a 6-3 Southern Maryland advantage. Lee’s third triple came leading off the seventh but he was stranded at third.

The Blue Crabs added an insurance run in the eighth when Michael Baca doubled following a Jared Walker double.

High Point starter Liam O’Sullivan (L, 1-4) went 4.1 innings and allowed five hits and six runs while walking four and striking out three. Reliever Cam Cotter pitched two-thirds of an inning and did not allow a run while Devin Fontenot hurled two scoreless innings. Joe Johnson allowed SMD’s final run in the eighth.

Sundberg added three hits for the Blue Crabs including a double and Crosby finished the night with two RBI.

The Rockers are now 11-20 in the second half and 50-47 on the season.

High Point and Southern Maryland will continue the three-game series on Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. at Regency Furniture Stadium.

Rockers Homer Way Past Gastonia, 11-5

August 7, 2022 by Steve Shutt

GASTONIA, N.C. – The first two batters of the game for the High Point Rockers belted home runs and set the tone for the Rockers’ 11-5 win in the final game of the four-game series over Gastonia at Caromont Health Park. The win gave High Point the series win by a 3-1 count and High Point’s six home runs tied a club record for homers in a game.

Third baseman Michael Russell went five-for-five with three doubles and a homer while Ben Aklinski and Tyler Ladendorf each collected three hits as part of High Point’s 14-hit attack. Ladendorf hit homers in the fifth and ninth innings.

High Point improved to 50-46 overall and 11-19 in the second half of the Atlantic League season.

Russell led off the game with his fourth home run of the year to stake the Rockers to a 1-0 lead. Aklinski followed with his 17^th homer of the season to put High Point up 2-0. In the ninth, Logan Morrison and Ladendorf would also hit back-to-back homers.

Gastonia’s Zach Jarrett brought home the Honey Hunters’ first run with a sac fly that plated Jack Reinheimer.

High Point added two more runs in the second RBI singles by Russell and Giovanny Alfonzo. Gastonia made it a 4-2 game in the third on a Luis Roman RBI single. The Rockers tallied three times in the fourth to take a 7-2 lead. Mike Gulino pounded a two-run homer and Aklinski singled to score Russell who had doubled. Tyler Ladendorf’s solo homer in the fifth gave High Point an 8-2 lead.

High Point starter Craig Stem (W, 4-3) allowed a three-run homer to Jarrett in the fifth Gastonia pulled within three at 8-5. But High Point went back up at 95 in the eighth when Russell walked, stole second and third and scored on a double by Aklinski.

Ladendorf and Morrison’s homers in the ninth gave the Rockers an 11-5 lead.

Stem went five innings and allowed eight hits and a walk while striking out three and giving up five runs. Junior Rincon shut the Honey Hunters down in the sixth and seventh while Cole Aker threw a shutout eighth inning. Tyler Higgins kept Gastonia scoreless in the ninth. Gastonia’s Roger Bernal (L, 2-1) allowed eight hits and seven runs in 3.1 innings of work.

The Rockers will have an off-day on Monday and then play at Southern Marylaned in a three-game set starting on Tuesday, August 9.

Rockers Roll In Rainy 8-4 Win Over Gastonia

August 6, 2022 by admin

Gastonia, NC- The High Point Rockers didn’t let the rain ruin their parade Saturday night, taking down the Gastonia Honey Hunters 8-4.

Playing in conditions ranging from a drizzle to a steady rain beginning in the third inning and continuing to the game’s conclusion, the Rockers built an early 4-0 lead and never trailed.

In the second inning with Zander Wiel on base, Tyler Ladendorf launched a home run over the left field wall off Reilly Hovis (L, 5-5) to give High Point a 2-0 advantage early. In the third inning, with Michael Russell at second base, Wiel stepped up to the plate and delivered a deep fly ball to center field. Jake Skole caught the ball at the fence, and Russell tagged up and went to third, only to catch the Honey Hunters napping and continued home, scoring from second base on the sacrifice fly.

In the fifth inning, Jerry Downs launched a home run of his own, his fourth in the last five games, giving High Point a 4-0 advantage.

Despite the Honey Hunters 23-6, 67-27) scoring twice off Neil Uskali in the last two innings of his evening, Uskali (W, 4-3) delivered a strong performance. He exited with two outs in the sixth inning, turning in 5.2 innings of two-run ball (only one run was earned) and matching a season-high in strikeouts with five.

The Rockers would add RBI hits from Giovanny Alfonzo, Mike Gulino, and Russell before all was said and done, and Ryan Dull (S, 9) relieved Bryce Hensley in the ninth inning to earn the save.

For High Point (10-19, 49-46), the win secured at least a split of the four-game weekend series, and was their fourth win in the last six games against the Honey Hunters.

The series concludes tomorrow as the Rockers send Craig Stem (3-3, 3.49) to the mound to take on Gastonia’s Roger Bernal. In Bernal’s last start, he threw the first five innings of what became a combined no-hitter for Gastonia against Lexington. First pitch of tomorrow’s game is scheduled for 4:15 at CaroMont Health Park.

NOTES: Gastonia’s Reece Hampton stole two bases, becoming the first player in the Atlantic League to reach 50 steals in 2022…Jerry Downs recorded two hits, extending his hitting streak to 14 games.

Rockers Split Friday DH With Gastonia

August 5, 2022 by admin

High Point, NC- The Rockers split a Friday doubleheader at Gastonia, dropping the opening game 6-3 before rallying for a 3-2 win in the nightcap.

In game one, Gastonia took a 3-0 lead in the second inning when Jaylen Smith launched a mammoth three-run home run off Rockers starter Mickey Jannis. The Honey Hunters would then add a pair of runs in the third inning, one scoring on a Dakota Mulcay passed ball, and another on Emmanuel Tapia’s RBI groundout.

Down 5-0, the Rockers finally got on the board in the fourth. After retiring the first nine hitters in order, Gastonia starter John Anderson gave up a leadoff hit to Michael Russell, who would score on a wild pitch two batters later. Then, Jerry Downs launched a solo home run (his third consecutive game with a home run) to make it 5-2. Quincy Latimore would single immediately after, and Cesar Trejo would drive him in to pull High Point to within two.

The Honey Hunters would get a run back in the bottom of the fourth, when Darian Sandford hit a chopper to first base with a runner on third, and Jerry Downs’ only play was to retire Sandford, allowing Skole to score.

Facing closer Jesus Balaguer in the seventh, High Point loaded the bases, but Downs struck out to end the contest.

In the second game, Honey Hunters pitcher Onas Farfan and new Rocker Bryan Quillens traded zeroes until the bottom of the fourth inning. Quillens exited after allowing a walk and a single, and both inherited runners came around to score off Junior Rincon. Luis Castro drove in Joseph Rosa with a single, and Tapia would bring Luis Roman in to score for a 2-0 Gastonia lead.

The Rockers’ bats remained quiet until the sixth, when Michael Russell and Ben Aklinski led off the inning with a pair of doubles. Downs promptly singled into right field, bringing both runners home and tying the game.

In the top of the seventh, the Rockers got three singles from Jay Gonzalez, Mike Gulino, and Russell to load the bases with one out. Aklinski would hit a ground ball to shortstop, but Rosa bobbled the ball, taking away any chance at a double play. Rosa recovered to force out Russell at second, but Gonzalez came in to score the deciding run.

For the day, Downs drove in three runs and has extended his hitting streak to a team best this year with his 13^th consecutive game with a base hit.

Game three of the weekend series is set for tomorrow night at CaroMont Health Park in Gastonia. First pitch is scheduled for 6:15 as the Rockers look to continue to hound the Wild Health Genomes for the Wild Card spot, now down 1.5 games.

Rockers Fall 6-2 in Series Finale with Genomes

August 4, 2022 by admin

High Point, NC- Elih Villanueva struck out 11 and Felix Pie drove in three runs as the Kentucky Wild Health Genomes defeated the High Point Rockers 6-2 on Thursday night at Truist Point.

Pie’s two-run home run in the third inning off Rockers starter Ivan Pineyro (4-2) gave the Genomes a lead they would not relinquish and provided more than enough offense for Villanueva’s masterful start.

The Genomes took a 1-0 lead almost instantly, when Luke Becker tripled on the first pitch of the game and scored moments later on a wild pitch. In the bottom of the first inning, the Rockers appeared to pick up exactly where the offense had left off last night, however, when Ben Aklinski (16^th) and Jerry Downs (15^th) hit back-to-back home runs for a 2-1 lead.

In the third, with a runner on first base, Pie launched a towering home run down the right field line, keeping it fair and putting Wild Health ahead 3-2. He would also score in the sixth on a wild pitch after hitting the Genomes’ second triple of the game.

Kentucky would add two more runs in the eighth inning off Bryce Hensley to close the scoring.

Villanueva (8-8) was masterful, allowing just one hit after the first inning and whiffing 11 Rockers, including four straight and five out of six in one stretch. As a unit, the Rockers only managed a pair of singles after the first inning and had only four total base runners over the last eight innings.

The win moves the Genomes back ahead of the Rockers in the Wild Card race by one game with now 40 games remaining. The Rockers head to Gastonia for a four-game weekend series, beginning with a doubleheader at CaroMont Health Park tomorrow at 3:15. Their next home series is next weekend, August 12-14 at home against Gastonia.