In what was likely their last home game of 2024, the Honkers walked off La Crosse in the ninth inning.
They fell behind in the third when Ian Collier singled in Mitch Wood. The Loggers added another in the fourth via a solo homer from Kaden Sundgren.
Rochester tied the game in the bottom half when Grant MacArthur hit an RBI double, then Andrew Cain drove in another.
The game didn’t remain tied for long as La Crosse retook the lead in the fifth, scoring twice thanks in part to Mitch Wood’s solo homer.
In the seventh, Paul Schoenfeld re-tied the game with a two-run homer over the left field wall.
The game remained tied thanks to Kyle Miller’s stellar outing out of the bullpen where he went 4.2 shutout innings, giving up just three hits while striking out five.
In the bottom of the ninth and two outs, Brendan O’Sullivan stood at third and Blaine French sent his third hit of the game into right-center to end the game.
With this win, the Honkers’ slim playoff hopes are still alive. They will go to La Crosse tomorrow before heading north to Duluth starting Friday.
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.
