(Rochester, Minn.) – The Rochester Honkers (13-16 Second Half, 29-35 Overall) took down the Thunder Bay Border Cats (12-18, 25-40) in seven innings by a score of 4-2 in game one of a doubleheader Monday night at Mayo Field. Zach Zubia (Texas) broke a Northwoods League single-season home run record with his 21st home run, a solo shot to right-center field in the third inning. Zubia went three-for-four at the plate, only a triple shy of a cycle. Manny Armendariz (Doane) pitched all seven innings for the Honkers, the first complete game this season for the Flock.
David Noworyta (Hawaii) and Michael Michalak (Des Moines Area CC) singled back-to-back with two outs in the bottom of the second inning. Ethan Ibarra (St. Cloud State) followed with a RBI double to the left field wall, scoring Noworyta from second base.
After Zubia’s record-breaking home run in the bottom of the third inning, the Honkers returned to add two runs in the fifth inning. With the first two batters of the inning on base, Ryan Fitzpatrick (UC Irvine) and Mike Echavia (Nevada) hit back-to-back RBI singles, extending the Honkers lead to 4-0.
Armendariz came within one out from throwing a complete game shutout. Gabriel Lozada (Hillsborough CC) hit a two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning to put Thunder Bay on the board, but that would be as far as the Border Cats would get.
Armendariz earned the win (4-2) for the Honkers. He pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on five hits while striking out four batters and walking two.
Alex Babcock (Bethany Lutheran) took the loss (1-2) for the Border Cats. He pitched five innings, giving up four runs on 11 hits while striking out five batters.
Game two from Rochester is set to start at 8:20 p.m. Ryan Dorney (St. Martin’s) is scheduled to pitch for the Honkers. Dorney is 3-2 this season with 22 strikeouts in 25.2 innings. Blaze Bohall (UNLV) is scheduled to pitch for the Border Cats. Bohall is 4-2 this season with a 3.82 ERA in 61.1 innings.
The Honkers team will have the day off tomorrow, August 8, but four players will participate in the Major League Dreams Showcase in Madison, Wis. Zach Zubia, Ryan Thompson (Illinois), Kenyon Yovan (Oregon), and David Noworyta (Hawaii) will work out in front of MLB scouts and play in an exhibition game at 4:05 p.m. at Warner Park.
The next home game for the Honkers will be a doubleheader against the Thunder Bay Border Cats on Wednesday, August 9. It will be Team Trading Card Set Night, presented by Pepsi and 106.9 KROC. The first 1,000 fans at the game will receive a free set of Honkers team trading cards. Gates open at 5:00 p.m. First pitch of game one starts at 6:05 p.m. Game two will begin 30 minutes after the completion of game one. Both matchups will be seven-inning games. Chia-Ching Ho (National Taiwan Sports University) is scheduled to pitch game one for the Honkers. Ho is 2-2 this season with a 4.39 ERA in 41 innings. Mason Swegarden (Mayville State) is scheduled to pitch for the Border Cats. Swegarden is 1-0 this season with a 2.25 ERA in four innings.
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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, more than 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.
