The Honkers comeback effort was not enough after falling behind early, losing the series opener with Willmar 9-5. A six-run Stinger first proved to be too steep a deficit to overcome.

The Willmar bats got off to a fast start in the ballgame, using four straight hits and a Honker error to begin the evening. The Stingers sent eleven hitters to the plate in the frame that ended with six runs on the scoreboard.

The Honkers battled back with four runs in the second, Zack Raabe (Minnesota) led off with a walk, coming around to score on a Miguel Ortiz (Cal St Fullerton) RBI single. Rochester got three runs on one swing in their next at-bat, Jackson Forbes (San Jose St) belted his first home run of the summer, a three run shot, to pull the Honkers within two.

After Willmar added two more in the third, Rochester plated its final run of the night in the fourth, Alex Pimentel (Long Beach St) extended his hitting streak with an RBI single scoring Jackson Forbes.

The Honker bats produced nine hits on the night but could not find their way any closer. Rochester falls to 11-14 with the loss, awaiting the series finale in Willmar tomorrow. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05.

By Nick DeLuca// Broadcasting and Media Relations Intern