(Waterloo, Iowa) – The Rochester Honkers (6-3 Second Half, 22-22 Overall) fell 18-4 to the Waterloo Bucks (5-5, 29-17) Friday night at Riverfront Stadium. The loss breaks a four-game winning streak by the Honkers. Rochester claimed the season series against Waterloo, 5-3.
Joe Genord (South Florida) doubled to left field with one out for the Bucks in the bottom of the second inning. He scored three batters later on a two-out double to center field by Deion Thompson (Western Illinois).
Two Waterloo errors and a walk loaded the bases for the Honkers in the top of the third inning. Ryan Fitzpatrick (UC Irvine) gave the Honkers the lead with a two-run double to left field. Kenyon Yovan (Oregon) followed with a two-run single to right field, extending the lead to 4-1.
The Bucks answered with six runs on five hits in the bottom of the third inning. Thompson capped the inning with a three-run home run to right field.
Thompson walked to lead off the sixth inning for Waterloo. He stole second base and moved to third base on a bunt by Grant Hawkins (Arkansas State). An error by the Rochester third baseman allowed Hawkins to reach base safely. Hawkins stole second base, drawing a throw from the Rochester catcher, which allowed Thompson to score from third base.
Hawkins returned in the seventh inning, bringing in two runs on a two-out single to center field. Waterloo added seven more runs on six hits in the bottom of the eighth inning, putting the game out of reach.
Zachary McLeod (Grand Canyon) earned the win (1-1) for the Bucks. He pitched 5.1 innings, giving up four runs (all unearned) on three hits while striking out four batters and walking six.
Beau O’Hara (Texas) took the loss (2-2) for the Honkers. He pitched three innings, giving up three earned runs on seven hits while walking two batters.
The Honkers will return home tomorrow, July 15, to face the Duluth Huskies. It will be Bark in the Park at Mayo Field, presented by Leashes and Leads with Coulee Bank and Quick Country 96.5. Get a free general admission ticket if you bring your dog, on a leash, to the game. The first 50 dogs with leashes at the gates will receive a free doggy bag, courtesy of Leashes and Leads. Gates open at 6:00 p.m. First pitch is 7:05 p.m. Drew Slade (Ripon) is scheduled to pitch for the Honkers. Slade is 3-1 this season with a 5.59 ERA.
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The Rochester Honkers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 23-year-old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 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, 180 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM) and Lucas Duda (NYM). 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 or on Google Play and set the Honkers as your favorite team.
