The Honkers fell for the third time in four tries on Friday night in Minot 9-4.
Rochester fell behind in the first, but tied it back up in their half of the second when Luca Dipaolo doubled in Brendan O’Sullivan.
Dipolo hit another two-bagger in the sixth, plating another run. In the eighth, he hit a two-run homer which capped off a 3/5 night where he was responsible for all four of the Honkers’ runs
There is currently a three-way tie for first place in the Great Planes East, and Rochester is just a game and a half out of it. They have two days off before hosting one of those three, Duluth, at home on Monday.
After getting swept in Bismarck, the Honkers bounced back in a big way, beating Minot 24-3 on Thursday.
Rochester scored in the top of the first and in the second, they plated nine runs. They got four of them on Reiss Calvin’s grand slam and two more on Luca Dipaolo’s double.
Paul Schoenfeld was one of the biggest parts of the offensive explosion, going 5/7 with two homers, two doubles and a walk. He finished with five RBIs and five runs.
Dipolo went 6/7 out of the leadoff spot including a homer and four total RBIs.
With this win, the Honkers are now just a game and a half out of first-place Duluth. They have Minot for one more game tomorrow.
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.
