HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point Rockers won their fifth straight game with a 10-2 victory over Frederick Saturday night in front of a crowd of 2,397 at Truist Point. First baseman John Nogowski homered for the third straight game and the Rockers scored 10 or more runs for the fourth time in the last five games.
Frederick notched the first run of the game, using a leadoff single by Luke Becker and consecutive walks issued by High Point starter Mickey Jannis to load the bases. Jose Marmalejos then bounced a ball to third and the Rockers were able to get the out at second with Becker scoring for a 1-0 Frederick lead.
But that would be the only hit Jannis would allow, shutting out Frederick over his final four innings of work.
The Rockers tied the game in the bottom of the first when Beau Taylor laced a single to left and moved to third on a double by Nogowski before scoring on a wild pitch from Frederick starter Elih Villanueva. A single run in the second came when D.J. Burt tripled to score Daikan Yoh.
High Point tallied four runs in the third with shortstop Ryan Grotjohn hitting a two-run triple to right. In the sixth, Nogowki hit his fourth homer of the year scoring Taylor ahead of him, to put the Rockers in front 8-1.
Marmalejos closed out Frederick’s scoring with a solo homer leading off the seventh. But the Rockers countered with a pair of solo blasts in the eighth from Taylor and left fielder Zander Wiel to account for the 10-2 final.
Jannis (1-0) earned the win, his first of the year, by allowing just one hit over his five innings of work, walking three and striking out two. Villanueva (0-1) fell to 0-1 on the season after allowing six hits and six runs over five innings.
The Rocker bullpen was again exemplary as Jeremy Rhoades, A.J. Cole, Kyle Halbohn and Ryan Dull each pitched an inning with Cole yielding the home run to Marmalejos. Dull struck out three in closing the game out in the ninth.
Taylor, Nogowski, Wiel and Aklinski each finished with a pair of hits while Grotjohn had three safeties. Nogowski and Grotjohn each had a pair of RBI.
The Rockers are now 7-1 and off to their best start in franchise history. Frederick, which will not announce a team nickname until June, are 0-7. The two clubs meet again on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. at Truist Point with the final contest of the four-game series slated for an 11:05 a.m. start on Monday.
