La Crosse, WI. – The Rochester Honkers got a big seventh inning to record a 4-1 road win over the La Crosse Loggers.
Evan Berkey (Cal State-Bakersfield) lead-off the game with a single and he reached second base on an error, but Loggers’ pitcher Matt Kennedy settled down and left him stranded there.
Honker’s starter David Lemasters (Lake Erie College) had a nearly identical first trip to the mound as Cody Jefferis reached second base on an error, but then he too got three of the next four batters he faced out.
La Crosse broke through against Lemasters in the bottom of the second inning when Hunter Watson hit an RBI single which scored Trey Harris from second base. Watson reached second base, but Lemasters got three straight outs to end the threat.
After that, both pitchers cruised as neither team got more than one hit in an inning beginning in the third and lasting through the sixth.
In the seventh inning, Rochester got on the board when Mitchell Allen (New Mexico State) laced a double to right field which scored Vinny Tosti (Oregon) from first base. The Honkers got the lead, 2-1, when Allen scored on a triple by Aaron Simmons (Wisconsin-Stevens Point). Berkey kept the runs coming when he hit a fielder’s choice to bring Simmons home. The icing on the cake was when Logan Denholm (California-Davis) hit an RBI single to score Berkey and give Rochester a 4-1 lead.
Marc Bisogno (Fordham) relieved Lemasters in the bottom of the seventh inning. He allowed just two hits, both singles, while striking out three in three innings to earn the save.
The 4-1 win improves the Honkers’ second-half record to 6-4, first place in Great Plains West division. Their overall record is 24-21.
Lemasters was honored as the Profile Sanford Player of the Game for striking out four pitchers and allowing one run in six innings of work.
Rochester begins a three-game homestand beginning with a second game against La Crosse at 7: 05 p.m. on Friday, July 12. Following that series, the Honkers host the Willmar Stingers for two games.
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.
####
