ROCHESTER, Minn. — The Rochester Honkers completed the series sweep over the Bismarck Larks with a 7-4 victory Friday night at Mayo Field.
Rochester grabbed momentum immediately thanks to back-to-back solo home runs from Sam Harry and Cameron Sewell over the left-field wall, helping spark a four-run first inning and giving starting pitcher Ian Regal an early cushion.
Assistant coach Fernando Loera spoke about the importance of the fast start.
“Everybody was ready to kind of hit it, and go out in the game,” Loera said. “I’d say there’s nothing better than back-to-back home runs to start the game.”
The offense wasn’t the only unit prepared from the opening pitch. After hitting the first batter he faced, Regal appeared to be off to a shaky start. However, a groundball followed by a double play quickly settled the right-hander in and put the Honkers back on track.
Rochester continued to add to its lead, scoring once in both the second and third innings to build a comfortable advantage.
Bismarck finally broke through when Joey Canzoni scored on an RBI single from Jaden Correa. The Larks threatened again in the fourth inning, loading the bases, but Regal limited the damage to just one run and escaped the jam.
Regal continued to cruise through the remainder of his outing, tossing seven innings while allowing six hits and two runs, striking out four batters along the way.
Following the game, Regal credited both the offense and defense for helping him earn the win.
“Shout out to the hitters first. They put up four quick runs in the first and backed me up, and I was able to pitch pretty comfortably the rest of the way,” Regal said. “Guys made plays when they needed to, and we got the job done.”
The Honkers turned to Cam Grenert in the eighth inning, but the Larks began chipping away at the five-run lead. Jordan Carter launched a solo home run to left field, and after a single and stolen base, Noah Caceres delivered an RBI single to trim the deficit to three entering the ninth inning.
Origer took the mound in the ninth and slammed the door shut, striking out the side to secure the victory in purple and white fashion.
With the win, Rochester completed the home sweep of Bismarck and improved its momentum, heading into a two-game series against the Duluth Huskies. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Saturday as the Honkers finish their last two games of their six game homestand.
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The Rochester Honkers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 32nd 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, 360 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 two-time World Series Champion Max Scherzer (TOR), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford and World Series Champion and Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale (ATL). 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. League games are viewable live on FloSports. For more information, visit www.rochesterhonkers.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Honkers as your favorite team.
