In a close contest, the Rochester Honkers (13-8) defeated the Eau Claire Express (9-10) by a final score of 3-2. It was a pitcher’s duel the whole way, and Rochester has now won consecutive games for the first time since their six-game winning streak.
Will Lavin (Western Illinois) got the start for the Honkers, while Isaac Lyon started for the Express. Both pitchers had solid days on the mound, but Eau Claire scratched across the game’s first run in the seventh.
The Express loaded the bases with just one out, and DJ Massey (Central Arizona) came to the plate. He hit a short pop-up to second base, and Petey Craska (Georgia Tech) and Jared Davis (Arizona Western) both went for the ball.
It dropped in between the two, but the force was made at second base, but by then, Dylan O’Connell (St. Thomas) had already scored the game’s first run. The run would be unearned, and Lavin would retire the side without any more damage.
The game rolled along for the next two innings without anything extraordinary happening. Then, in the bottom of the fourth, the Honkers broke through in a big way.
Nico Regino (Charleston Southern) led off the inning with a game-tying solo home run. Later in the inning, the Honkers had bases loaded with two outs with Jared Davis at the plate.
Davis was struggling at the plate and was hitting just .227 heading into the matchup. He was at the plate in what would be the game’s biggest at-bat.
The TCU commit hit a slow grounder to the left side, and the shortstop DJ Massey had to make a challenging play on it. He made a strong throw to first base, but Davis dove for the bag and reached the bag just ahead of the throw to give the Honkers the lead.
Rochester would tack on another run in the inning on a wild pitch to bring their lead to 3-1. Easton Richter (St. Louis) came for a struggling Trevor Lee (Wichita State) and induced a ground ball double play that got the Honkers out of a huge jam in the fifth inning.
Richter cruised through the next few frames but allowed an unearned run in the eighth inning. The Honkers had just a one-run lead heading into the ninth.
For the second straight game, Greyson Christian (Northeastern State) came in to close out the ninth. He retired the Express in order, and the Honkers took the win.
Rochester will be on the road tomorrow against the Eau Claire Express. 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.
