ST. CLOUD, MINN – The Rochester Honkers lost game one of today’s doubleheader against the St. Cloud Rox 9-5 at Joe Faber Field. 

The game started very well for the Honkers. They scored runs in the third, fifth and sixth inning to take a 3-0 lead. Carson Stevens (Cal Poly), Theo Hardy (San Jose State) and Zach Meddings (Coastal Carolina) all had RBI for Rochester. Nate Hansen (San Joaquin Delta) was brilliant through five, he didn’t allow a run on one hit. 

However, it unraveled for him in the sixth. John Nett (St. Cloud State) and Ike Mezzenga (North Iowa Area CC) both singled, Brice Matthews (Nebraska) walked and Ethan Mann (Dallas Baptist) drove a two run double down the left field line. On the same play Theo Hardy, trying to throw out Mann at second, airmailed it into right field which allowed the tying run to score. The next batter, Garrett Pennington (Wichita State), gave the Rox the lead with a sac fly. St. Cloud added another on an O’Neil Burgos (Southern) solo home run. 

The Rox pulled away with three more in the seventh, two coming on an Ike Mezzenga two run home run making it 8-3. The Honkers got two runs closer in the eighth but that wasn’t enough as they lost to St. Cloud 9-5. 

With the loss the Honkers fall to 23-28 overall and 8-9 in the second half. They’ll look to split the doubleheader with St. Cloud tonight at 7:05 p.m. Troy Wentworth (Point Loma Nazarene) gets the ball for the Honkers.