Rochester’s first Friday night game failed to yield a positive result. In their first trip to La Crosse of the year, they fell 5-4.
The game opened with six straight scoreless half innings as both offenses seemingly couldn’t figure out starters Gabriel Aragon and Micah Worley.
The Honkers broke through in the fourth inning on the back of a double steal where Petey Craska ended up scoring. Augusto Mungarrieta added a sac fly moments later, pushing the league to 2-0.
That lead was short-lived as the Loggers plated four in the fourth, two of which were courtesy of a Cooper Bass RBI single. An inning later, Zach Wadas went yard, pushing the league to 5-2.
Will Cooper came into the game late and provided two shutout innings for Rochester. The Honkers built a rally in the eighth as Mattie Thomas and Mungarrieta each had RBI doubles, shrinking the deficit to 5-4. Mungarrieta raised his early-season batting average to .313 and played solid behind the plate.
Rochester was able to load the bases in the eighth but was unable to come away with the tying run. The offense was set down in order in the ninth, handing the Honkers their fourth loss of the year.
Tomorrow, they will play the back end of the two game series, aiming to get a split. First pitch is at 6:35.
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. Entering its’ 31st season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 26 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 350 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 (TEX), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (STL) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2023 World Series Champion, 2021 and 2023 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. League games are viewable live at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. For more information, visit northwoodsleague.com/rochester-honkers 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.
