(Rochester, Minn.) – A strong start from Erik Cha (1-5) (Cal State Fullerton) helped give the Honkers a 2-1 victory over the Eau Claire Express at Mayo Field on Sunday afternoon.
Cha threw seven innings, allowed one run on three hits, walked three and struck out one in his start.
The Honkers took the lead in the second when Casey Worden (UC-Riverside) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score Kyle Kasser (Oregon) and give the Honkers a 1-0 lead.
The Express tied the game in the sixth when Kyle Marinconz (Cal Poly) grounded out to the shortstop to score Alex McKenna (Cal Poly). The Honkers scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the seventh when Joey Czarske (Cal State Northridge) hit an RBI single to score Miles Lewis (North Dakota) and get Rochester a 2-1 victory.
Stevie Ledesma (2) (Santa Barbara City) collected the save by allowing one hit in the final two innings.
Michael Gomez (Cal Poly) got the start for the Express; he went six innings, allowed one run on seven hits and struck out one. Joe Gronwoski (0-2) (St. Scholastica) took the loss in relief for the Express; he went one inning, allowed one run on two hits and struck out one.
The Honkers take on the Mankato MoonDogs tomorrow at Mayo Field on Kid’s Three Buck Day presented by Perkins where Kids 12 and under gain General Admission for only $3.00! First pitch is set for 12:05 p.m. and gates open at 11:00! The Honkers will then travel to Mankato to take on the MoonDogs in the second game of a double header. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. Tuesday; the Honkers hit the road to take on the Duluth Huskies. The Honkers and Huskies will play on Tuesday and Wednesday, with both games starting at 6:35 p.m.
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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!
