Rochester’s solid night on the mound was not enough in a 3-2 defeat in their final meeting with the St. Cloud Rox. With the game tied at two in the ninth, Ben Grable (Northwestern) was called for a bases-loaded balk to bring home the winning run.

The Honkers jumped out to an early lead in the ballgame’s first at-bat. Nico Regino (Delta) lifted a leadoff home run to left field. It was Regino’s second homer of the summer and eighth RBI.

St. Cloud battled back to take the lead with a two-run second inning. Justin Kirby (Kent St) doubled to put two runners in scoring position for Easton Waterman. (Point Loma Nazarene) The Rox catcher lined a second straight double to put the Rox in front.

Otto Grimm (Minnesota) delivered with a clutch at-bat in the fourth to knot the score. The Golden Gopher found room on the right side with a two-out single to plate Carson Stevens. (Delta)

The score stayed even until the ninth thanks to an excellent night for Honker pitching. Brant Alazaus (Walsh) posted another strong outing, working six innings, allowing two earned runs, with no walks and nine strikeouts. The All-Star lefty’s nine strikeouts were his second-most in a single outing this summer.

Patrick Williams (Lipscomb) went 1.1 scoreless, and Ben Grable escaped a bases-loaded jam with one out in the eighth.

With the defeat, the Honkers fall to 29-34 on the summer and 14-17 in the second half. They open a home and home with the La Crosse Loggers tomorrow at Coepland Park. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 pm CT. The game can be streamed on the Rochester Honkers Radio Network (https://mixlr.com/honkersbroadcast)

By Nick DeLuca//Broadcasting and Media Relations Intern