LEXINGTON, Ky. – The High Point Rockers needed Kent Emanuel on Saturday night at Lexington. After three straight losses to the Legends, Emanuel spun seven shutout innings while striking out eight in leading the Rockers to an 8-0 win at CommonSpirit Ballpark.
Emanuel (W, 4-0) scattered seven hits and did not issue a walk, leaving after seven innings with a comfortable 8-0 lead.
Emanuel’s pitching was enhanced by third baseman Ethan Skender who made two diving stops to rob the Legends of base hits and turn them both into easy ground outs.
Stefan Raith put the Legends down in order in the eighth before Jesse Hahn made his Rockers debut, striking out two in a 1-2-3 ninth inning. Hahn, the former Major Leaguer, signed with the Rockers on Friday.
The Rockers scored all the runs they would need with a four-run second inning. Skender extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a lead-off double. With two outs, Lexington starter Tyler Guilfoil (L, 3-6) then walked Ty Hubbard to put two men aboard. D.J. Burt’s line drive to left tipped off the glove of left fielder Patrick Sanchez and rolled to the wall, allowing Skender and Hubbard to score. Nolan Watson followed with his fifth homer of the year, driving in Burt ahead of him, to stake the Rockers to a 4-0 lead.
Alex Dickerson added a solo homer in the third as the Rockers went up 5-0.
The lead grew to 8-0 following a three-run seventh. Ryan McCarthy delivered an RBI single and Luke Napleton belted a two-run double off the wall in center.
The Rockers finished the night with eight hits while the Legends managed seven. Napleton and Watson each had two hits for the Rockers.
High Point is now 11-9 in the second half and 40-43 for the season while Lexington falls to 12-8 and 38-44. The Rockers are one game out of first place in the Atlantic League South, a position that Lexington and Southern Maryland share with identical 12-8 second half records.
Sunday’s series finale is slated for a 2 p.m. start at CommonSpirit Ballpark. The Rockers have not announced a starting pitcher yet though the Legends are slated to throw lefty Jack Lynch (1-3, 6.75).
Rocker fans can follow the action live on DugoutTV.org or the audio broadcast on the free app MixLR.
