ROCHESTER, MINN – The Rochester Honkers defeated the La Crosse Loggers 6-4 on Monday July 4th at Mayo Field. 

The Honkers grabbed the lead in the first inning. After Austin Davis (West Virginia) and Theo Hardy (San Jose State) singled, Davis came around to score on a wild pitch. However, the Loggers quickly tied the game in the second. Landon Wallace (West Virginia) led off the frame with a single and scored on a Jordan Donahue (Hawaii) sac fly. 

The Honkers re-took the lead in the third. Kevin Dowdell (West Virginia) smoked his third home run of the season, a two run shot, making it 3-1 Rochester. The Loggers scored a run in the fourth thanks to a pair of Honkers errors and tied it in the fifth on a Carson Hornung (South Carolina) RBI double. 

Rochester took the lead for good in the fifth. After Austin Davis singled again, he crossed the plate on a dropped third strike. The Honkers added two more runs in the sixth on a pair of wild pitches to take a 6-3 lead. 

The Honkers pitching staff was terrific in this game. Jakob Guardado (Pasadena City College) went the first five innings, striking out a season high 10 batters, allowing two earned runs on two hits. He picked up his first win of the summer. David Rodriguez (Delta College) relieved him and threw three hitless innings, giving up one unearned run. Thaniel Trumper (Doane) struck out the side in the ninth, recording his fifth save of the summer, locking down a 6-4 Honkers victory. 

The Honkers finish the first half 15-19 after tonight’s win. After a league wide off-day tomorrow, Rochester is back in action Wednesday night when they host the Minnesota Mud Puppies. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. from Mayo Field.