(Rochester, Minn.) – Down by one run in the ninth, Rochester native Michael Michalak (Illinois) ripped a two-run home run to give the Rochester Honkers a walk-off win against the division leading Duluth Huskies 2-1 Monday at Mayo Field. The Honkers won their second straight to move to 15-16 in the second half and 32-35 overall. The Huskies fall to 21-10 and 45-22.
The Huskies scored their lone run of the game in the sixth as Tony Monroy (Georgetown) came around to score on an error and give the Huskies a 1-0 lead.
Honkers starting pitcher Zak Devermann (Illinois) took a no decision despite tossing a gem. The left-hander worked eight innings giving up one run on three hits and struck out four. The run was not an earned run. Connor McCollum (Colorado Christian) picked up his first win of the year after working a scoreless ninth inning.
Huskies relief pitcher Kieran Shaw (Harvard) was tagged with his second loss of the summer. Shaw pitched a 1/3 of an inning giving up two runs on two hits.
The Honkers will have a day off Tuesday but Logan Denholm (UC Davis), Nate Webb (UC Riverside) and Matteo Bocchi (Texas) will participate in the Major League Dreams Showcase in Madison, Wis. The showcase features a doubleheader with all three Honkers playing at 4:05 p.m.
Wednesday, the Honkers host the Huskies for the last home game of season. Wednesday is Fan Appreciation Night, first 500 fans receive free car washes provided by Holiday Station Stores and Minnesota 97.5. Drew Slade (Ripon) is scheduled to start for the Honkers, Slade has a 6.42 ERA and a 2-8 record. Jason Braziel (Friends) is scheduled to start for the Huskies, Braziel has a 2-1 record and a 3.85 ERA. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
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The Rochester Honkers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Now in its 25th anniversary season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 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, 200 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. 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.
