(Rochester, Minn.) – The Rochester Honkers scored two runs in the eighth inning to come back and defeat the Thunder Bay Border Cats 6-5 at Mayo Field Friday night.
Trailing 5-4 in the eighth, Miles Lewis (North Dakota) hit an RBI single, followed by Kyle Kasser (Oregon) who hit another RBI single to score Brett Harrison (North Dakota) to give the Honkers a 6-5 victory.
The Honkers took a 2-0 lead in the second after Josh Davis (Pepperdine) and Drew Ellis (Louisville) hit back-to-back solo home runs on back-to-back pitches.
The Border Cats got one run back in the third when Michael Papierski (LSU) hit a single to score Jordan Gillerman (St. John’s University).
Thunder Bay plated four runs in sixth, and three of them came off the bat of Bobby Honeyman (Stony Brook University) who cleared the bases with a 3-RBI double.
Trailing 5-2 in the sixth, the Honkers scored two runs in the seventh on a Ryan Fitzpatrick (Saddle Back College) two-RBI single to score Kasser and Lewis.
Max Gamboa (Pepperdine) got the start for the Honkers; he went six innings, allowed five runs, four of them earned, on six hits, walked three and struck out three. Jackson Douglas (2-4) (Iowa Western CC) got the win in relief; he threw one shut-out inning, allowed one hit and struck out two. Lance Berringer (Washington) picked up his first save of the season by throwing the final inning of the game.
Gunner Kay (1-3) (Jefferson College) got the start and the loss for the Border Cats; he pitched 7.2 innings, allowed six runs on nine hits, walked four and struck out four. Vinny Santarsiero (Fontbonne University) pitched the final 0.1 innings for the Border Cats and allowed one two hits and struck out one.
Fitzpatrick went 1-for-3 with two RBI and Kasser went 2-for-5 with one RBI and one run scored to lead the Honkers. Honeyman went 2-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored to lead Thunder Bay.
The Honkers advance to 10-11 in the second half and 17-39 overall, while the Border Cats fall to 7-13 in the second half and 13-41 overall.
Saturday, the Honkers will take on the Eau Claire Express in Eau Claire with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m. The Honkers are back at Mayo Field Sunday to take on the Express! Sunday is Winona State Rochester Day at Mayo Field, Kids eat free on the Sports Deck, with the purchase of an Adult Sports Deck Ticket, and Kids Run the Bases after the game! It is also is Kid Club Day! Also, Bob and Steve’s “Corn Sunday” on the Sports Deck!
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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!
