The Waterloo Bucks (4-6) battled the Rochester Honkers (8-2) in the second game of their home-and-home series, and it went down to the wire. The Honkers came out on top for their fourth straight win after a late-inning comeback.
Matt Brock (San Joaquin Delta College) got the start for Rochester, while Patrick Mastrian (Miami (OH)) toed the rubber for Waterloo. The Bucks got the scoring started in the second inning.
Brock retired the first two batters he faced and then allowed four straight hits to the bottom of the order. The Honkers got a run back in the bottom half as Griffen Sotomayor (Washington State) came in to score on a double play.
In the next frame, the Honkers evened the score after Nico Regino (Charleston Southern) doubled home Jakob Guardado (Pasadena City College). Waterloo regained the lead in the fourth and tacked on another run in the fifth, and heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, the Honkers trailed the Bucks 4-2.
Mastrian was cruising and keeping the Honkers off balance. His combination of fastball and curveball worked well until the 6th inning. Kimo Fukofuka (San Jose State) came to the plate and hit a two-out solo home run to the opposite field to bring The Flock within a run.
Mastrian returned for the seventh inning, and the Honkers could finally pull ahead.
Marco Castillo (Georgetown) reached base after being hit by a pitch, and Alec Gomez (Orange Coast College) doubled down the right-field line to put runners on second and third with just one out.
Chase Spencer (Air Force) then hit a deep fly to center field that was plenty far enough to bring home Castillo for a sacrifice fly. Then, a white-hot Jakob Guardado singled to left, and Gomez scored easily to put the Honkers ahead for good.
Michael Banderas (San Joaquin Delta College) came in and got the final six outs of the game, and the Honkers notched their eighth win of the year and took a three-game divisional lead over the Eau Claire Express.
Rochester will be back in action tomorrow, away against the La Crosse Loggers. The first pitch is at 6:35 pm.
The Rochester Honkers began their 30th season of play on May 29th. Keep up with the team on social media by following them on Twitter (@RochHonkers) and Instagram (@honkersbaseball) and like the Honkers on Facebook at Rochester Honkers Baseball Club. Interact on social by using the hashtag #FunForTheWholeFlock!
The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 30th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 24 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires, and front office staff, over 310 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (NYM), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.
