HIGH POINT, N.C. – Six Kentucky pitchers held High Point to just three hits on Friday night as the Genomes took a 2-1 victory from the Rockers in 10 innings in front of 2,324 fans at Truist Point.
The Genomes did not allow a High Point hit after the second inning until there were two outs in the ninth.
Quincy Latimore staked the Rockers to a 1-0 lead with a two-out solo homer to left off Genomes starter Elih Villanueva in the second.
Kentucky tied the game at 1-1 in the sixth when Riley Mahan hammered a line drive homer over the right field fence off High Point starter Cooper Casad.
Villanueva threw five innings, yielded just two hits, walked one and struck out five before leaving for Josh Martin before the top of the sixth. Villanueva retired the last seven hitters he faced. Casad went six innings and did not issue a walk while giving up five hits and striking out six. The only run he allowed was Mahan’s sixth inning homer.
The game remained deadlocked as each team’s bullpen locked down the other’s offense. Neither team was able to get a runner to second base over the seventh, eighth and ninth innings.
With two outs in the ninth, Michael Russell singled softly to center, marking the Rockers’ first base hit since Latimore’s homer in the second.
In the tenth, with Cleuluis Rondon starting the inning at second, Luke Becker’s sacrifice bunt moved him to third. Chase Vallot smashed a one-hopper at third baseman Zander Wiel who tried to tag Rondon but was ruled to have missed. Andrew Keefer singled to right to bring home Rondon with the go-ahead run.
The Rockers went down in order against Jack Weinberger in the 10th as he earned the save.
Besides Latimore’s homer in the second and Russell’s single in the ninth, High Point’s only other hit came in the first when Russell added a two-out single.
High Point’s Austin Glorius (1-1) took the loss while Kentucky’s Diego Moreno earned the win by pitching the ninth inning and allowing one hit while getting one strikeout. Glorius allowed two hits and recorded a pair of strikeouts in his lone inning of work.
The Rockers continue their homestand on Saturday night with the third of four games against the Genomes. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 at Truist Point.
