WILLMAR, MN – The Rochester Honkers lost game one to the Stingers 13-6 on Monday night at Bill Taunton Stadium. 

For the first seven innings this was a back and forth affair. Every time the Stingers scored Rochester responded in the next half inning. After Willmar took a 1-0 lead in the first, Joe Longo (Michigan) tied the game with an RBI single. The Stingers took a 2-1 lead in the third and again it was Longo, tying it with another run scoring single. Behind by two in the sixth Theo Hardy (San Jose State) tied the game with a two run home run, his second of the summer. The Honkers took their first lead of the game in the seventh after Alex Pimentel (UNLV) blasted his fourth home run of the summer, a two run shot, to make it 6-5 Honkers. 

However, it was all Stingers after that. Aidan Byrne (Minnesota State, Mankato) tied the game after scoring on a wild pitch in the seventh and Willmar pulled away with a seven run eighth. Zac Corbin (Kennesaw State) gave the Stingers the lead with a two run double. Later in the inning Byrne drove in two more with a double and the longest hit was off the bat of Josh Fitzgerald (Dallas Baptist). He crushed a two run homer to cap off a huge inning for the Stingers. 

The Honkers went down 1-2-3 in the ninth as they lose game one 13-6. The Honkers look for the series sweep tomorrow night, Jakob Guardado (Pasadena City) gets the start for Rochester. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.