HIGH POINT, N.C. – On a momentous day for the High Point Rockers, Southern Maryland spoiled the fun with a 4-2 win in front of a crowd of 4,001 at Truist Point on Sunday.

Sunday’s game marked the final contest for High Point centerfielder Johnny Field who announced prior to the game that he was retiring from baseball following the contest. It also marked the first professional appearance in nine years for starting pitcher Chris Rollins who signed with the Rockers earlier in the day. And High Point’s attendance was the third-highest in Truist Point history.

Field had a game worthy of a career that included time in the Major Leagues with both Minnesota and Tampa. He led off the bottom of the first with a solo homer to put the Rockers up 1-0 and finished the day with three hits.

With two starting pitchers sidelined with injuries and three others who have had their contracts purchased by other organizations, the Rockers were thin on starting pitchers. They turned to Rollins, 35, who had last pitched in the Atlantic League with the Camden River Sharks in 2013. Despite the nine years between professional appearances, Rollins kept the Blue Crabs hitless through the first four innings. Southern Maryland’s Jack Sundberg managed the first hit, a single, to lead off the fifth. After retiring the next two hitters, Rollins was relieved by Kyle Mott who walked Jared Walker and then gave up a three-run homer to Alex Crosby to put the ‘Crabs up 3-1.

High Point’s Tyler Ladendorf hit a solo homer leading off the bottom of the seventh that pulled the Rockers to within two at 4-2. But Southern Maryland relievers Bradley Roney and Endrys Briceno held the Rockers hitless over the final two innings.

“We couldn’t ask Chris to do any more than he did,” said Rockers manger Jamie Keefe.  “He kept putting zeroes up on the board. In that situation (runner on third, two outs in the fifth) we wanted to put the ball in the hands of one of our guys and it was one pitch (that did the damage).”

Rollins received a call from Rockers pitching coach Frank Viola late in the week asking if he was interested in pitching a game for the Rockers. Rollins, who runs a baseball instructional academy in New Jersey, has stayed active on the mound, pitching in the Tri County League in South Jersey.

“I had to take a lot of breathes to try and slow it down a little bit,” said Rollins. “I just tried to treat it like one of my baseball games back home. Not let it get too big or go too fast for me. These aren’t the same hitters I’m used to facing. These guys are among the best in the world and grooving a 3-1 fastball isn’t always the best idea. I’d rather walk a guy and then do damage control.”

Rollins finished with four strikeouts and five walks while allowing just one hit and one run in 4.2 innings of work. Mott (L, 1-1) allowed three runs, three walks and two hits in 1.1 innings.

Field, a native of Las Vegas, played collegiately at Arizona and helped the Wildcats to a College World Series appearance. A fifth round draft pick in 2013 by Tampa Bay, he reached the Major Leagues with the Rays in 2018 and finished that campaign with the Twins.

“I told Jamie at the start of the year that I would give it a half season and see if I could sign with an organization,” said Field. “I had a blast, had a great time with the guys in the clubhouse. But I’m 30 now and I’ve accomplished what I wanted to accomplish in the game. Now I’m ready for what’s next.”

The loss puts the Rockers at 38-27 with one game remaining in the first half of the season. The Rockers will play at Gastonia on Monday at 6:15 p.m. to close the first half.

High Point returns home to face Gastonia on Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. at Truist Point.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Southern Maryland broke a 2-2 tie with a four-run sixth inning and went on to defeat the High Point Rockers 6-3 on Saturday night at Truist Point on Military Appreciation Night.

The loss snapped High Point’s eight-game winning streak and leaves the Rockers with a 38-26 record on the season. The Blue Crabs, the North Division first half champions, improved to 46-18.

High Point starter Jonah Scolaro set down the first 11 Southern Maryland hitters he faced and carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning.

High Point took a 2-0 lead in the second inning on back-to-back solo home runs by Zander Wiel and Logan Morrison. It was Wiel’s 17^th homer of the year and Morrison’s eighth.

Scolaro did not allow a hit until the fifth inning. After he walked Joe DeLuca, Braxton Lee doubled to left field to drive in the ‘Crabs first run. He scored on a ground out by Ryan Haug to tie the game at 2-2.

Southern Maryland scored four times in the sixth. After Scolaro allowed a  lead-off single to Jack Sundberg before Michael Wielansky tripled and then scored on a wild pitch. Joe Johnson came on for Scolaro and allowed a single to David Harris before Alex Crosby stroked a double that scored Harris. Crosby then scored on a ground out by Braxton Lee that gave SMD a 6-2 advantage.

Scolaro (L, 2-2) allowed just three hits through 5.1 innings and struck out six with a pair of walks. Southern Maryland starter Eddit Butler (W, 5-2) scattered seven hits over seven innings and allowed two runs while walking one and striking out three. Mat Latos (S, 18), the Atlantic League save leader, pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 18^th save of the year.

Wiel, Morrison and Michael Martinez each had a pair of hits for the Rockers.  David Harris led Southern Maryland with two hits. Haug, the Atlantic League leader in hit by pitch, was hit twice on Saturday, marking the fifth time he’s been hit twice in a game.

The rubber match between High Point and Southern Maryland is set for a special 6:05 p.m. start time on Sunday so as to accommodate the Rockers’ post-game fireworks show.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Southern Maryland broke a 2-2 tie with a four-run sixth inning and went on to defeat the High Point Rockers 6-3 on Saturday night at Truist Point on Military Appreciation Night.

The loss snapped High Point’s eight-game winning streak and leaves the Rockers with a 38-26 record on the season. The Blue Crabs, the North Division first half champions, improved to 46-18.

High Point starter Jonah Scolaro set down the first 11 Southern Maryland hitters he faced and carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning.

High Point took a 2-0 lead in the second inning on back-to-back solo home runs by Zander Wiel and Logan Morrison. It was Wiel’s 17^th homer of the year and Morrison’s eighth.

Scolaro did not allow a hit until the fifth inning. After he walked Joe DeLuca, Braxton Lee doubled to left field to drive in the ‘Crabs first run. He scored on a ground out by Ryan Haug to tie the game at 2-2.

Southern Maryland scored four times in the sixth. After Scolaro allowed a  lead-off single to Jack Sundberg before Michael Wielansky tripled and then scored on a wild pitch. Joe Johnson came on for Scolaro and allowed a single to David Harris before Alex Crosby stroked a double that scored Harris. Crosby then scored on a ground out by Braxton Lee that gave SMD a 6-2 advantage.

Scolaro (L, 2-2) allowed just three hits through 5.1 innings and struck out six with a pair of walks. Southern Maryland starter Eddit Butler (W, 5-2) scattered seven hits over seven innings and allowed two runs while walking one and striking out three. Mat Latos (S, 18), the Atlantic League save leader, pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 18^th save of the year.

Wiel, Morrison and Michael Martinez each had a pair of hits for the Rockers.  David Harris led Southern Maryland with two hits. Haug, the Atlantic League leader in hit by pitch, was hit twice on Saturday, marking the fifth time he’s been hit twice in a game.

The rubber match between High Point and Southern Maryland is set for a special 6:05 p.m. start time on Sunday so as to accommodate the Rockers’ post-game fireworks show.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The High Point Rockers hit three home runs and starting pitcher Craig Stem threw seven shutout innings as the Rockers won their seventh straight game with a 12-0 win over Charleston on Thursday night at Appalachian Power Park.

The seven-game winning streak is the second-longest this year for the Rockers as they won 10 straight between May 18 and June 2. The Rockers are now 37-27 on the season.

Stem and a pair of relievers held Charleston to just four hits on the night and only two Charleston base runners were able to get to second base over the first seven innings.

The Rockers pounded out 10 hits and received home runs from Zander Wiel, Logan Morrison and Tyler Ladendorf.

The Rockers staked Stem to three runs before he even took the mound for his first pitch. In the top of the first, Ben Aklinski drew a one-out walk and Jerry Downs was hit by a pitch by Dirty Bird starter Jordan Stephens. Wiel then unloaded his 15^th home run of the year to give the Rockers a 3-0 lead.

With two outs in the third inning, Wiel walked and scored on Morrison’s seventh homer of the year for a 5-0 High Point advantage.

Downs walked to start the fifth inning and moved to third on a single by Wiel. Morrison’s sacrifice fly scored Downs to give the Rockers a 6-0 lead.  The Rockers doubled their lead to 12-0 with a six-run seventh inning.  Reliever Michael Gunn hit Aklinski with a pitch and was followed by a Downs RBI double. Later in the inning, Ladendorf would hit a three-run homer, his sixth of the year. After walks to Mike Gulino and Johnny Field, Aklinski ripped an RBI single to center to score Gulino.

Stem threw seven shutout innings, allowing just three hits and no walks while striking out four. William Kirwan, recently acquired by the Rockers after being released by Kentucky, came on in the eighth inning and allowed one hit and one walk. Joe Johnson threw a three-up, three-down ninth inning with a strikeout to close out the Dirty Birds.

The Rockers return home for a three-game Independence Day weekend series with North Division champion Southern Maryland. Game time for Friday’s series opener is set for 6:35 p.m. at Truist Point.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The High Point Rockers used three pitchers to hold Charleston to just four hits in a 6-1 victory on Wednesday night at Appalachian Power Park. It was the sixth straight win for the Rockers who improved to 36-25 on the season.

High Point starter Ivan Pineyro (W, 2-0) went six innings, yielded just three hits and one run while recording eight strikeouts. John Hayes went 2.1 innings and gave up one hit while Kyle Mott recorded the final two outs of the game.

Michael Martinez and Giovanny Alfonzo led the offensive with three hits and an RBI apiece. Zander Wiel drove in a pair of runs with his 14^th homer of the season.

The Dirty Birds took an early 1-0 lead off Pineyro when Nick Heath hit his first homer of the year to right field. But little did Charleston know, that would be their only run of the night.

Charleston lefty Derrick Adams didn’t allow a run through the first two innings, but the Rockers tied the game in the third when Alfonzo and Jay Gonzalez started the frame with singles. Ben Aklinski grounded to shortstop Connor Justus who flipped to Diego Goris at second to force Gonzalez but Goris’ throw to first was wide of the bag allowing Alfonso to score.

The Rockers then took the lead with a three-run fifth inning. Jerry Downs led off with a single before Zander Wiel blasted a two-run homer, putting High Point ahead 3-1. Logan Morrison was hit by a pitch and moved to second on a single by Martinez. Alfonzo then singled up the middle to score Morrison for a 4-1 Rockers’ advantage.

 

In the sixth, Charleston reliever Francisco Carrillo issued walks to Aklinski and Downs then Morrison stroked a double to right to bring home Aklinski. Downs then scored on a Martinez single to put the Rockers ahead 6-1.

 

High Point and Charleston will conclude their three-game series on Thursday night with a 6:35 p.m. start at Appalachian Power Park.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The High Point Rockers scored five times in the first two innings and rookie starter Nick Evangelista pitched five solid innings as the Rockers won their fifth straight game on Tuesday with a 7-4 win over Charleston at Appalachian Power Park.

The win moves the Rockers to 35-25 on the season with six games remaining. Gastonia, at 41-18, has clinched the South Division playoff spot. The Rockers can secure a tie for first by winning their final six games and having Gastonia lose its final seven, but Gastonia owns the head-to-head tiebreaker and will advance to the playoffs as the first half South champion.

Evangelista (W, 1-1), the rookie who was pitching for Fairleigh Dickinson University just a few short weeks ago, received plenty of support in his second professional start. With one out in the top of the first, Ben Aklinski singled and scored on a home run by Jerry Downs, his ninth of the season. After Zander Wiel grounded out, Logan Morrison added his sixth homer of the year to put High Point up 3-0.

Evangelista yielded a pair of singles in the first but escaped unharmed thanks to a 6-4-3 double play.  In the top of the second, Giovanny Alfonzo drew a one out walk before Aklinski hit his 11^th homer of the year to put High Point up 5-0.

Charleston got on the board with three runs in the bottom of the fourth. Evangelista issued a pair of walks and a fielder’s choice to load the bases with one out. Yovan Gonzalez was hit by a pitch to force home one run before Corey Bird drove in two more with a single.

High Point extended its lead to 6-3 when Downs doubled in the seventh to score Alfonzo who had walked. It was a 7-3 Rocker lead after Zander Wiel reached on an error in the eighth and eventually scored on a Tyler Ladendorf ground out. The Dirty Birds matched that run in the bottom of the eighth off reliever Bryce Hensley when Diego Goris and scored on a Rocker infield error.

Evangelista earned his first professional win with 5.2 innings of work, allowing seven hits and three runs while walking two and striking out four. Ryan Dull allowed a pair of hits in the ninth but threw a shutout inning to earn his third save of the season.

The Rockers and Dirty Birds will meet again on Wednesday at 6:35 at Appalachian Power Park in the second game of the three-game series.