GASTONIA, N.C. – The High Point Rockers pounded out 15 hits and Connor Owings went five-for-five as the Rockers won the series opener at Gastonia 8-5 on Tuesday night.
The win pushed the Rockers from third to second in the Atlantic League’s South Division. Charleston continues to lead the division in the second half at 17-8 while High Point, at 16-10, is a half-game in front of Gastonia (16-11).
Owings posted the first five-hit game by a Rocker this season. He had an RBI single in the first, a single in the third, a double in the fifth, a two-run homer in the seventh and a Texas League single in the eighth.
High Point took a 1-0 lead in the first when Martin Figueroa led off the game with a single, moved to second on an infield groundout by Evan Edwards and scored on a single by Owings.
Gastonia tied the game in the bottom of the first when Josh Stowers singled, stole second, and came around on Jake Gatewood’s single.
D.J. Burt scored from third on a passed ball in the fourth to give the Rockers a 2-1 lead. Burt had beaten out an infield single and moved to third on a double by Figueroa.
Gastonia got to High Point starter Jeremy Rhoades for four runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 5-2 lead. The GBC banged our four consecutive hits, including three straight doubles, in the frame.
Brian Parreira homered to right with Owings aboard in the fifth to pull the Rockers to within one at 5-4.
Rockers reliever Austin Warner (W, 1-1) kept the GBC scoreless through his two innings of work in the fifth and sixth.
Quincy Nieporte, who joined the Rockers earlier in the day after having been in High Point in 2021, singled off reliever Julian Smith (L, 1-1) to lead off the seventh and scored on Owings’ homer that put High Point ahead 6-5. Figueroa then hammered a solo shot off Nick Horvath leading off the eighth to give the Rockers a 7-5 cushion. Ben Aklinski followed with a single and stole second before scoring on Nieporte’s double to center for an 8-5 lead.
Rockers’ reliever Dakota Chalmers pitched around a lead-off walk in the eighth and returned in the ninth and put Gastonia down in order to earn the two inning save, his sixth of the season.
Rhoades allowed five runs on eight hits over his four innings while walking one and striking out six.
Gastonia starter Morgan McSweeney yielded five hits and a run over his three innings of work with two walks and five strikeouts.
Figueroa finished the night with three hits and a pair of runs scored while Owings added three RBI and scored twice.
Game two of the series is scheduled for Wednesday at 7 o’clock at CaroMont Health Park.
