Rochester simply cannot seem to find the right hit at the right time. That narrative has been present throughout the week and showed itself again tonight as they fell to La Crosse 6-5.
The Honkers got off to a fast start thanks to Mattie Thomas. He cleared the deck in right field. That was his third homer of the year, vaulting him into the league lead.
The lead was short-lived as La Crosse put up two runs in their half of the first, a lead they would not relinquish. The Loggers added one in the third, then another in the fourth.
In the fifth, Petey Craska drew a bases-loaded walk, and then Augusto Mungarrieta had an RBI groundout. However, the Honkers left runners at second and third.
After giving up another two runs in the sixth, Mungarrieta came up again and drove in two runners with a double down the right field line. However, they couldn’t push across the tying run again, leaving the bases loaded.
Aaron McCurley came in in the sixth and tossed 2.1 innings of one-hit ball. He struck out five and only issued one walk, keeping the Honkers in the game.
Express closer Tate Hess entered the game in the ninth and slammed the door on Rochester, setting them down in order. La Crosse closed out the two-game sweep, 6-5.
Next up, Rochester will travel to Rockford for two games starting tomorrow night.
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.
