WATERLOO, IOWA — On a night where fireworks took place after the game at Waterloo Riverfront Stadium, the Rochester Honkers (7-26) provided the in-game entertainment against the Waterloo Bucks (25-17) in a thrilling 4-0 shutout victory, their first against the Minnesota-Iowa Pod leaders in 2020.
Three late tallies by the Honkers helped wrap up the first shutout pitched by Rochester all season. Ahead 1-0 in the eighth inning, first baseman Tanner Tweedt (Sacramento City College) dumped a blooper in front of Waterloo left fielder Ben Ranieri (Linfield College) to score the first of two runs in the inning. Nick Thimsen (Concordia-St. Paul) brought the second run home with a one-out fielder’s choice, extending the Rochester lead to 3-0. The final insurance run was plated in the ninth, when Bucks first baseman Peyton Williams (Iowa) booted a routine ground ball off the bat of Aaron Simmons (Wisconsin-Stevens Point), securing a 4-0 lead that Rochester would not relinquish.
Rochester left fielder Logan Sanders (Pima CC) and catcher Ty Hamilton (Wisconsin-La Crosse) combined for a sterling 7-2 double play that likely saved the game in the seventh. On a throw that was up the third base line, Hamilton was forced to dive at the runner breaking for the plate and made a miraculous airborne tag to keep the shutout intact.
Honkers right-hander Jeremy Klick (St. Thomas) was superb in his five innings of work. Klick carried a no-hitter into his fifth frame of the evening, surrendering a one-out single to Ethan Copeland (Southern Illinois-Edwardsville), the lone hit he gave up in the game. Klick walked four and struck out three en route to earning his first victory of the season in his second start.
Each Rochester reliever that appeared in the game recorded a hold for the first time in 2020. T. Palmer Mickelson (Rochester Community and Technical College), Tanner Cunha (Nevada), Jack Zalasky and Stone Churby (Sacramento State) combined for four two-hit innings of relief to hold the Bucks’ bats at bay. It was the first time Waterloo has been held to zero runs all season.
Offensively, a quartet of Honkers tallied multi-hit affairs. Each of the hitters in the top third of the order ended the night with two hits. Taison Corio (Cal Poly) opened the game with a double that allowed Robert Moore (Arkansas) to drive him home with a double of his own for the first run of the night. Corio also singled in the win. Simmons singled twice in the two-hole, and Moore tallied another single to make it a 6-for-13 night for the trio of Rochester hitters. Jacob Shaver (Arizona) turned in a pair of singles to record his first multi-hit game of 2020. With a single in the ninth, Sanders extended his hitting streak to a season-high six games.
The Honkers return home tomorrow afternoon to face the Waterloo Bucks in the fifth game of this six-game set. It’s Dollar Beer Day at Mayo Field with first pitch scheduled for 1:05 p.m. CST. Gates will open at noon. Be sure to catch all the action on www.Portal.StretchInternet.com/NWLHonkers with Honkers Pregame Live presented by Rochester Toyota airing at 1:00.
Connect with the Honkers on social media by liking them on Facebook and following them on twitter @RochHonkers and Instagram @HonkersBaseball. Join the conversation by using the hashtag #UnlockTheFlock!
by Jordan Lank // Jordan Lank is in his first season as Director of Media Relations for the Rochester Honkers.
