(Rochester, Minn)- The Rochester Honkers fell 7-3 to the Eau Clair Express Thursday in their first game back from the All-Star Break. Jordan Gross (Tulane) was charged with the loss for the Honkers, giving up fve runs, three earned, on six hits in three innings pitched. Erich Uelman (Cal Poly) earned the win for Eau Claire, throwing seven shutout innings, tallying nine strikeouts and allowing just three hits.
After neither team could break through in the first two innings, Eau Claire took the lead in the third inning, scoring four runs, two of which were unearned. The Honkers committed two errors and allowed a run on a wild pitch in the inning.
A home run in the fourth and a pair of runs in the sixth gave the Express a 7-0 lead that would end up being too much for the Honkers to overcome.
The Honkers broke up the shut out in the bottom of the eighth inning. Miles Mastrbuoni (College of San Mateo) flew out to right field, but Adam Walton (Illinois) tagged up on third and advanced home on a throwing error by the Express.
In the ninth, Walton hit a single that scored Cole Krzmarzick (Nevada) and Scott Schreiber (Nebraska) to make it 7-3, but that’s al the closer the Honkers would get as they fell 7-3.
The Honkers now sit at 10-11 for the second half, which is good for sixth in the half standings in the North. For the entire season, the Honkers are 30-25 and are in fourth in the division, holding onto the last playoff spot by 1.5 games over the Waterloo Bucks.
The Honkers and Express face off again tomorrow, Friday July 24th, at 7:05 p.m. at Mayo Field. Gates will open at 6 p.m. Tyler Feyereisen (St. Thomas) is scheduled to start for the Honkers on the mound. It Will be Bark in the Park, presented by Leashes and Leads. Bring your dog to the gam, and you both get in for free! The first 50 dogs will receive a free doggy gift bag.
All of the Honkers games can be found live on Sports Radio AM 1520 The Ticket with Clinton Cole. You can also listen for free at www.rochesterhonkers.com by clicking on the Listen to Games Live link. Live video streams of the games are available via the Northwoods league Live Stream, powered by Stretch Internet. To access, just visit www.northwoodsleague.com and click on the Watch Games Live link at the bottom of the page.
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
