By Camden Connolly
HIGH POINT, NC- Jordan Luplow hit a three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to cap a six-run rally and give the High Point Rockers a 7-4 win over the Lancaster Stormers in front of a crowd of 2,023 on Friday night at Truist Point.
The win leaves the Rockers with a magic number of two and they could clinch the Atlantic League’s South Division first half title with a win on Saturday night at Truist Point. Any combination of two Rockers wins and/or two losses by the second place Southern Maryland Blue Crabs would give High Point its second first half title in the last three years.
Trailing 4-1 entering the ninth inning, the Rockers put together four hits and took advantage of a pair of walks to post their second walk-off win of the season.
Ben Aklinski started the rally by drawing a walk from Lancaster’s Cody Stashak. A Jack Conley single put two aboard. After Stashak fanned Aidan Brewer for the first out, he walked Braxton Davidson to load the bases. The Stormers went with lefty Phil Diehl who induced a ground out to second by Luis Gonzalez to bring home Aklinski and cut the deficit to 4-2. A single by Max Viera plated Conley before Drew Mendoza added a single to tie the game. Luplow then hit a 2-2 pitch from Diehl deep over the fence in left to give the Rockers the 7-4 win.
Lancaster starter Noah Bremer shutout the Rockers through the first seven innings and only giving up three hits while his teammates built a 3-0 lead. All three runs came in the third inning off Rockers starter Pat Gardner who went six innings. The Stormers used sac flies from Yeison Coca and Nick Lucky along with an RBI double from Joseph Carpenter to take the lead.
The Rockers finally got on the board in the eighth when Brewer singled and moved to third on an error by Lancaster first baseman Mason Martin. Drew Mendoza then singled off Lancaster reliever Gerson Moreno to drive in Brewer.
The Stormers appeared to add an insurance run with a sacrifice fly from Alex Isola in the top of the ninth to bring the score to 4-1.
The Rockers will meet the Stormers at Truist Point on Saturday night at 6:35 p.m. for the second game of the three-game series. It will be Strike Out Cancer night at Truist Point. Fans can follow all the action on FLOBASEBALL.tv and on the Mixlr app.
