CHARLESTON, W.Va. – When High Point Rockers manager Jamie Keefe signed infielder Ivan Melendez on Tuesday, he knew he was getting a potential impact player.

How much of an impact Melendez could make became obvious on Wednesday night as the former consensus college player of the year at the University of Texas collected four hits including two doubles and two home runs and drove in five runs in leading the Rockers to an 11-4 win over the Charleston Dirty Birds night at GoMart Park.

Melendez, who started at third base, stoked the Rockers to a 1-0 lead in the second inning when the clean-up hitter hit the second pitch he saw out of the park to left. After adding a lead-off double off the wall in the fourth, Melendez hit another double in the fifth, one of three straight doubles by the Rockers in a four-run fifth inning. He finished with a three-run homer in the eighth.

David Hess (W, 3-3) went five innings, allowing five hits and two runs while walking one and striking out five.

Not to be lost in Melendez’s debut, Ryan McCarthy collected two hits and drove in three runs for the Rockers who pounded out 11 hits on the night.

Also making his professional debut on Wednesday is former Georgia Tech hurler Caden Spivey who closed out the game with a one-two-three inning in the ninth inning.

The Rockers are now 19-25 on the season while Charleston falls to 13-31.

Melendez was the second round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks and had reached Class AAA level last year. He had been playing in Veracruz in the Mexican League until recently. In 2022, the El Paso, Texas native won the Dick Howser Trophy and received national player of the year honors from Baseball America, DI Baseball, Collegiate Baseball and the American Baseball Coaches Association.

“It took us a while to get him here but he’s the guy we wanted,” said Keefe. “He is fun to watch. Has a very professional approach to hitting. And, most importantly, he’s happy to be here. He fits right in with the guys.”

The same two teams will play the third game of the six-game series on Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. at GoMart Park. Rocker fans can follow the action on DugoutTV.org or on the free audio app MixLR.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – In a back-and-forth contest, it was the Charleston Dirty Birds that got in the final shot, scoring five runs in the eighth inning to take a 12-9 win over the High Point Rockers in the first game of a six-game series at GoMart Park on Tuesday night.

The Rockers held an 8-7 lead going into the bottom of the eighth inning but surrendered five runs on three hits and two errors as the Dirty Birds took a 12-8 lead. The Rockers rallied for a run in the ninth that led to the 12-9 final.

High Point’s Ryan McCarthy had three hits including two home runs, scored four runs and drove home five to lead the Rockers offense. Center fielder Bryson Parks set a club record by getting hit by a pitch three times.

The Rockers are now 18-25 on the season while Charleston snapped a nine-game losing streak to improve to 13-30.

High Point took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first when McCarthy drew a two-out walk and Luke Napleton delivered a two-run homer. Charleston tied the game in its half of the first, drawing a pair of walks from High Point starter Matt Solter before Carlos De La Cruz delivered a two-run single to left.

The Dirty Birds then put up three more runs in the bottom of the second to take a 5-2 advantage. After a one-out double by Wendell Rijo, Solter walked Shawon Dunston, Jr. then allowed an RBI single to Jaylen Smith. Narciso Crook followed with a two-run single.

McCarthy’s two-run homer in the fourth drove in D.J. Burt ahead of him and pulled the Rockers within one at 5-4.

The Dirty Birds added a run in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI single from Demetrius Moorer to extend the lead to 6-4.

McCarthy’s two-out solo shot to left cut Charleston’s lead to 6-5. Charleston’s Narciso Crook blooped a single to right in the sixth to score Demetrius Moorer to again make it a two-run game at 7-5.

In the top of the eighth, A walk to pinch-hitter Braxton Davidson and a single by Burt put two men on before McCarthy plated both runners with a double. Nick Longhi then beat out an infield single as McCarthy scored to give the Rockers an 8-7 lead.

Reliever Alec Barger allowed a walk and three hits and Charleston’s offense was aided by a pair of Rocker errors as the Dirty Birds plated five runs in the bottom of the eighth, just two of the runs earned.

Longhi finished the night with three hits as the Rockers out-hit Charleston 12-11.

Game two of the series is slated for 6:35 p.m. Wednesday night at GoMart Park. High Point will send righty David Hess (2-3, 4.96) to the mound to face Charleston righty Jordan Jackson (4-3, 4.72). Rocker fans can follow the action on DugoutTV.org or listen to the audio broadcast on the free MixLR app on their mobile device.

NOTES: The Rockers signed 1B/3B Ivan Melendez on Tuesday. A former second round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Melendez was the consensus national collegiate player of the year in 2022 . . . The Rockers also added recent Georgia Tech reliever RHP Caden Spivey . . . SS Aidan Brewer and OF Chase Nixon were each placed on the seven day injured list.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Ryan McCarthy banged out three hits and drove in three runs to lead the High Point Rockers to a 7-5 win over the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs on Sunday afternoon in front of a crowd of 2,421 at Truist Point.

The win gives the Rockers a 3-3 split in the six-game series. High Point improves to 18-24 on the season while Southern Maryland continues to lead the Atlantic League’s South Division at 28-14.

McCarthy had a two-run homer in the fifth inning and an RBI single in the seventh to pace the Rockers’ 11-hit attack on Sunday. D.J. Burt, Luke Napleton and Chase Nixon each added a pair of hits.

The Rockers jumped to a 1-0 lead in the first when Burt singled, moved to second on a single by McCarthy and scored on a single by Max Viera. The Rockers increased the lead to 2-0 in the second when Nixon singled, moved to second when Nolan Watson was hit by a pitch, advanced to third on Bryson Parks’ fielder’s choice and scored on a sac fly from Luca Danos.

Rocker starter Ben Wereski went three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out four while working under a strict pitch count limit. Wereski threw 48 pitches and exited with a 2-0 lead.

Reliever Matt Colucci came on in the fourth and walked lead-off batter Phillip Sikes then yielded back-to-back homers to Ezquiel Pagan and Danny Bautista, Jr. as the Blue Crabs took a 3-2 lead.

The Rockers jumped ahead 4-3 in the fifth against Southern Maryland starter Connor Overton. After Burt hit a one-out triple to right, McCarthy followed with his fifth home run as a Rocker, hitting the scoreboard in right to score Burt ahead of him.

The Rockers’ Matt Solter came on in the seventh to relieve Colucci as the Blue Crabs regained a 5-4 lead as Brody Fahr doubled and Phillip Sikes hit a two-run homer.

But the Rockers rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh to surge to a 7-5 advantage. Danos was hit by a pitch and sacrificed to second by Patrick Sanchez before SMD reliever Dylan Beck walked Burt. McCarthy then singled home one run and Napleton followed with another RBI single. Viera’s sac fly plated Napleton with the third run of the inning.

Nick Timpanelli threw a 1-2-3 eighth inning for the Rockers and Ryan Chasse came on in the ninth to earn his second save of the season.

After an off-day on Monday, the Rockers will head to Charleston, W. Virginia to start a six-game series with the Dirty Birds with the opening game set for Tuesday night. Rocker fans can follow the action on DugoutTV.org or listen on the MixLR free app on their mobile device.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs used an eight run fifth inning to power past the High Point Rockers and claim a 13–9 victory Friday night at Truist Point in front of a crowd of 3,001. The series is now even at two games apiece with two games still remaining this weekend.

The Rockers are now 17-23 while South Division leading Southern Maryland improves to 26-13.

The Blue Crabs collected 15 hits compared to just five for the Rockers, fueling the offensive outburst. There were a total of 17 walks issued in the game, eight by High Point pitchers and nine by Southern Maryland.

Despite the loss, Luke Napleton continued his hot stretch at the plate, driving in four runs and giving him nine RBIs over his last three games. Napleton hit a two-run homer in the seventh and added an RBI double in the ninth.

Daniel Blair (L, 1-1) gets tagged with the loss, surrendering eight runs on eleven hits in his three innings of work.

The Rockers produced in the first inning for the third consecutive night, hanging a three spot to open the contest. It started with a leadoff homer off the bat of Ethan Skender that opened up the scoring. Patrick Sanchez and Ryan McCarthy both worked a walk following the homer and later came around to score due to a throwing error from the Blue Crabs first basemen.

After issuing walks to the first three batters he faced in the third inning, Rockers starter Dalton Hitt found himself in immediate trouble. Jackson Loftin took advantage, punching a two-run double. Sacrifice flies from Alejandro De Aza and Danny Bautista Jr. plated a pair of runs and capped off a four run third inning that gave Southern Maryland the 4-3 lead.

In the fourth inning, the Rockers took a 5-4 lead, scoring a pair of runs on four walks and a hit batter. Max Viera drew a bases loaded walk to bring home one run and Skender’s grounder to third plated another

The Rocker lead was short lived as Blue Crabs scored eight times in the fifth to take a 12-5 lead. Right fielder Philip Sikes clubbed a three-run homer to highlight the inning for Southern Maryland.

Nolan Watson and Napleton both homered in the home half of the seventh, but it was not enough to power a High Point comeback. Napleton has driven in nine runs through his three starts of this series.

Game four of this six game set is slated to start at 6:35 Saturday night at Truist Point. The Rockers will send Yuhi Sako (2-3, 5.25) to the hill opposed by Southern Maryland’s right-hander Kyle Virbitsky (3-1). Rocker fans can follow the action live on HomeTeamLive.com (DugoutTV) or the audio broadcast on the free app MixLR.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point Rockers scored five runs in the first inning and cruised to a 7-5 win over the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs Thursday night at Truist Point. It was the Rockers’ second straight win over the South Division league leader.

The Rockers are now 17-22 on the season while the Blue Crabs fell to 26-13.

David Hess (W, 2-3) earned his second win of the 2026 campaign, turning in 6.2 smooth innings on the mound for the Rockers. The veteran right hander allowed four runs while striking out five, delivering a steady outing that helped High Point secure the victory.

Ryan McCarthy and Luke Napleton both drive in a pair of runs in the win.

Viandel Peña sent the first pitch he saw far over the wall to give Southern Maryland an early advantage. The homer was Peña’s team-leading seventh of the season.

High Point wasted no time taking control, erupting for five runs in the home half of the first inning while sending ten batters to the plate. Napleton got the Rockers on the board for the second straight night, lining a two run double that brought home Patrick Sanchez and McCarthy from the corners to give High Point an early lead. D.J. Burt, Bryson Parks and Aidan Brewer all contributed RBI hits in the first.

Southern Maryland starter Justin Sanchez (L, 0-2) allowed 10 hits and all seven runs over his four innings of work.

Dylan Hoy clubbed his first professional homer for the Blue Crabs in third to pull his squad back within three at 5-2.

McCarthy continues to produce in a Rocker uniform, tallying his fourth homer of the season that plated Ethan Skender, who reached on a double earlier in the inning. The round tripper gave the Rockers some more insurance, pushing the lead to 7-2. McCarthy notched his third consecutive multi hit night.

Southern Maryland would put up a run in three consecutive innings late, but it was not enough to claw back. Three different Blue Crabs collected multiple hits in the loss.

Cody Reed and newcomer Nick Timpanelli each contributed a scoreless outing in relief with Ryan Chasse pitching around a walk in the ninth to earn first save of the season.

Game four of this six game set is slated to start at 6:35 p.m. Friday night at Truist Point with fireworks following the game.  Rockers will send southpaw Dalton Hitt (0-0) to the hill opposed by Southern Maryland’s JP Massey (3-3). Hitt will be making his second start for the Rockers after pitching at High Point University for the past two seasons. Rocker fans can follow the action live on DugoutTV.org or the audio broadcast on the free app MixLR.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Luke Napleton drive in four runs including a three-run homer to lead the High Point Rockers to a 6-2 win over the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs on Wednesday night at Truist Point. The win snapped Southern Maryland’s seven-game winning streak and ended the Rockers’ five-game drought.

The Rockers improve to 16-22 while Southern Maryland continues to lead the South Division at 26-11.

Napleton drove in four of the six Rocker runs, three coming from a big three-run homer that gave the Rockers a 3-1 lead in the first inning.

Matt Solter turned in a much-needed quality start, tossing five innings while only surrendering two runs on five hits, and punching out a pair. The big righty earned his first win in nearly a month.

“Matty made a solid start and we needed that,” said Rockers manager Jamie Keefe. “Then Brayden Matthew gave us three really strong innings in relief and  Ryan Chasse slammed the door in the ninth.”

Chase Nixon, signed earlier in the day, made his professional debut and collected his first pro hit and came around to touch home for the first time as a Rocker. Nixon is the son of 2004 world series champion Trot Nixon.

The potent Southern Maryland offense wasted no time getting on the board, as Ezequiel Pagan lined an RBI single in the opening frame to give the Blue Crabs an early 1–0 advantage.

High Point answered immediately in the home half of the inning. With runners stationed on the corners, Napleton stepped to the plate and launched his fourth home run of the season, a three-run blast that quickly swung the lead back in favor of the Rockers.

Southern Maryland chipped away in the second when longtime Major Leaguer Alejandro De Aza ripped a double and later came around to score.

Napleton plated his fourth run of the night in the sixth, driving in Ryan McCarthy from third with a sacrifice fly.

Patrick Sanchez gave the Rockers some late insurance in the seventh, lining a double into left field that plated Nixon. After a couple knocks and a free pass loaded the bases, Braxton Davidson got credited for an RBI base on balls to push the High Point lead to 6-2.

Matthews continued to impress out of the pen, chucking three innings of one hit, scoreless baseball. The young righty has only surrendered one run in his first professional season. The Rockers pitching staff held Southern Maryland to just six hits on the night.

McCarthy and D.J Burt each collected a pair of hits in the win.

Game three of this six game set is slated to start at 6:35, Thursday night at Truist Point.  High Point will send righty David Hess (1-3, 4.89) to the mound to face Blue Crab lefty Justin Sanchez (0-1, 7.62). Rocker fans can follow the action live on DugoutTV.org or the audio broadcast on the free MixLR app.