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Published On: July 5th, 2019

 

Rochester, MN. – After an up-and-down first half, the Rochester Honkers began the second half of the season in a similar way by winning one and losing one against the Waterloo Bucks.

The first game got off to a rough start when the Bucks got a two-run double from Patrick Ferguson and an RBI double from Blake Wagenseller in the first inning to take a 3-0 lead.

Rochester trimmed their lead to two runs in the second inning when Nathan Webb (California-Riverside) hit an RBI single to score Ryan Ober (Oregon State). 

The Honkers then took the lead in the third inning when they scored four runs. The scoring started when Kyler McMahan (Oregon State) got an RBI single to score Evan Berkey (California-Bakersfield). Webb then struck again by lacing a double into center field which brought home Ober and McMahan. Logan Denholm (California-Davis) then made it back-to-back doubles when hit one to left field scoring Webb. The four runs gave the Honkers a 5-3 lead. 

After allowing three runs in the first inning, Rochester’s starting pitcher David Lemasters (Lake Erie College) settled down and pitched three scoreless innings, including a 1-2-3 fourth inning. 

Mitchell Allen (New Mexico State) came in to pitch the fifth inning and he allowed just three hits in three scoreless innings. 

The 5-3 score held until the seventh inning when the Honkers added to their lead on a bases-loaded walk drawn by Ober and a sacrifice-fly by McMahan. 

But Rochester’s offense wasn’t content with a 7-3 lead. In the eighth inning, A.J. Miller (Oregon) scored on a wild pitch and Andy Armstrong (Oregon State) hit a sacrifice-fly to score Vinny Tosti (Oregon) making the score 9-3.

Logan Nissen (Bethany Lutheran) pitched the last two innings and gave up only two hits in two scoreless innings.

The Honkers scored another two runs in the ninth when Miller hit an RBI single and Tosti hit a fielder’s choice which allowed Webb to score the final run of the game. 

The 11-3 victory gave Rochester a 1-0 record in the second half of the season and a 19-17 record overall. 

Nathan Webb was honored as the Profile Sanford Player of the Game after going 3-for-4 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored. 

Mitchell Allen was named the winning pitcher. 

The second game got off to a good start when Rochester scored the first run of the game when Tristan Peterson (New Mexico State) hit an RBI single into left field to score Armstrong.

Waterloo responded in the bottom half of the first when Alonzo Rubalcaba lined an RBI double into center field to tie the game, 1-1.

Bucks’ starting pitcher Luke Mattson rebounded in the second inning by retiring the side. 

Unfortunately, Honkers’ starting pitcher Landon Anderson (Cal State-Fullerton) couldn’t do the same thing as Waterloo got another run in the second inning when Tony Jenkins hit a sacrifice-fly to give the Bucks a 2-1 lead. 

Rochester re-took the lead in the top of the fourth when McMahan hit an RBI single into left field to score Peterson and Ryan Wrobleski (Dallas Baptist) hit a sacrifice-fly to score McMahan. 

However, that lead didn’t last long, as the Bucks stormed back with three runs in their next half inning. It started when Matt Campos hit a two-run single. Later, Campos advanced to third base on an error and scored on a groundout by Bennett Hostetler. Waterloo now had a 5-3 lead. 

After that three-run fourth inning, Anderson was relieved by Marty Tolson Jr. (Maryland-Eastern Shore) when the bottom of the fifth inning began. Tolson Jr. got to a great start by retiring the side in the fifth. 

But once again the Bucks had an answer as they brought in a new pitcher, Brandon Vial, and he also had a great performance. He allowed just one hit in three scoreless innings. 

After a scoreless fifth and sixth inning, Waterloo added to their lead in the seventh inning when Hostetler hit an RBI double to center field and Dylan Phillips hit an RBI single to right field. 

The Bucks’ 7-3 lead became the final score after Jimmy Smiley pitched a scoreless eighth inning and Dylan Phillips pitched a scoreless ninth. 

The loss dropped the Honkers’ second half record to 1-1 and their overall record to 19-18. 

Tristan Peterson was named the Profile Sanford Player of the Game after going 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. 

The Honkers begin a four-game homestand by hosting the Waterloo Bucks on Friday, July 5, at 7:05 p.m. After one more game against the Bucks (July 6 at 6:05 p.m.), Rochester hosts the Thunder Bay Border Cats on Sunday, July 7, at 1:05 p.m.

Season tickets and new all-you-can-eat ticket packages are available for purchase right now at www.RochesterHonkers.com or by calling the Honkers front office at 507-289-1170.

The Rochester Honkers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Now in its 26th season, the Northwoods 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, over 200 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (MIA).  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.
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