(Rochester, Minn) – The Rochester Honkers fell the St. Cloud Rox 13-3 in St. Cloud in a game that featured just under two hours of weather delays.
The Honkers scored first in the first inning, when Drew Ellis (Louisville) hit a sacrifice fly to score Kyle Kasser (Oregon). The Honkers’ lead went to 2-0 after Casey Worden (UC Riverside) hit a solo home run.
St. Cloud tied the game in the bottom of the second when Brendan Illies (North Carolina) hit an RBI single, and later scored on a walk to make it 2-0.
Michael Strem (Boston College) bounced into a putout that scored Marcus Carson (Kentucky) in the fourth to give the Rox’s a 3-2 lead.
The Honkers were able to tie the game in the fifth, when Turner Buis (Cal State Fullerton) scored on a wild pitch.
The Rox got back in the batter’s box after just under two hours of delays before the start of the bottom of the fifth.
The Rox scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth, and three of them came on a three-run home run off the bat of Carson. Strem then hit a RBI triple to make it 7-3, and then Denis Karas (Cal Berkeley) hit an RBI double to give the Rox a 8-3 lead.
St. Cloud scored another four runs in the seventh and one run in the eighth to get a 13-3 victory.
Erik Cha (Cal State Fullerton) got the start for the Honkers; he threw four innings, allowed three runs, two of the earned, on five hits, walked six and struck out one. Ricky Delgado (0-3) (UC Riverside) took the loss for the Honkers; he threw one inning in relief, allowed five runs on four hits, walked one and struck out one.
Austin Caspersen (St. Cloud State) got the start for the Rox; he went two innings, allowed two runs on one hit, walked two and struck out two. Aaron Rozek (Minnesota State, Mankato) threw 2.1 innings in relief; he allowed one run on one hit, walked two and struck out one. Robbie Palkert (2-1) (Nebraska) threw 1.2 innings in relief, and struck out three to earn the win for the Rox.
Worden went 2 for 4 with a RBI and a run scored to lead the Honkers. Carson went 4 for 5 with three RBI and four runs scored to lead the Rox, while Strem went 1 for 5 with 5 RBI and a run scored.
The Honkers fall to 4-7 in the second half and 11-35 overall. The Rox move to 6-3 in the second half and 30-14 overall.
The Honkers will play the same Rox’s team Sunday, with first pitch is set for 5:05 p.m. You can catch the action on 1520 AM ‘The Ticket’. The Honkers will then hit the All-Star Break! Turner Buis and Alex Fitchett are headed to Kenosha, Wis. as Buis will play in the All-Star Game on Tuesday, while Fitchett will hit in the Home Run Derby at the Harbor on Monday night. The Honkers next home game is Tuesday, July 26 as the La Crosse Loggers come to town. It is TV Tuesday on the 26th presented by Sam’s Club, where one lucky fan will have the chance to win a 40” TV!
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The Rochester Honkers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 23rd season of summer collegiate baseball, 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 150 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 (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (CHC). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.rochesterhonkers.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store and set the Honkers as your favorite team!
