(Rochester, Minn.)—The Rochester Honkers earned a 5-4 win over the Thunder Bay Border Cats Monday night on William Paschal’s (Georgia Gwinnett) walk-off single in the 10th inning. Patrick Duester, who only pitched the final inning, picked up the win for Rochester, while Nate Steger (Winston Salem State) was charge with loss for Thunder Bay after giving up the game-winning run.
The Honkers hit three home runs in the game, two from Joe DeRoche-Duffin (UCONN) and one from Ryan Webberley (Cal Poly Pomona).
The Honkers took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on Duffin’s two run homer that scored Webberley.
Thunder Bay got one back in the second, but Webberley and Duffin provided the scoring punch in their next at bats as they hit back to back solo homeruns to give the Honkers a 4-1 lead.
That lead held into the 7th inning, when Thunder Bay plated three runs to force a 4-4 tie.
Neither side could gain an advantage over the final two innings and the Honkers would find themselves in extra innings for only the second time this season and the first since June 5th at St. Cloud.
In the bottom of the tenth, Slade Heggen (Oregon) led off with a single to right field. He advanced to second a sacrifice bunt from Miles Mastrobuoni. Sam Hall (Dixie State) moved Heggen to third with a single of his own, setting up Paschal to bring Heggen home on a single that dropped just on the outfield grass.
The Honkers will be on the road the rest of this week, but will be back at home on Saturday, July 11th, to face the St. Cloud Rox for a double header of seven-inning games starting at 6:05. It will be the Field of Future Stars presented by Meshbesher and Spence. All RYBA, RYSA, RYHA, Girls Softball and Miracle League players wearing their uniform top gain free admission to the game!
You can follow all the Honkers action on Sports Radio AM 1520 The Ticket with Clinton Cole, and on the Northwoods League Live stream, which can be found at northwoodsleague.com. Just click on the Watch Games Live link.
The Rochester Honkers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 22nd season of summer collegiate baseball in 2015, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 120 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (OAK). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League Website. For more information, visit www.rochesterhonkers.com
