ROCHESTER, Minn. — The Rochester Honkers held off a late rally from the Minot Hot Tots to secure a 6-5 victory Friday night at Mayo Field.
Field Manager Jason Jácome handed the ball to right-hander Cooper Annin, who looked sharp early and attacked the strike zone with confidence. Annin cruised through the first few innings, helping Rochester set the tone.
The Honkers struck first in the bottom of the second inning when Seth Thompson launched a solo home run to give Rochester a 1-0 lead.
Minot answered in the top of the fourth with a sacrifice fly to left field, tying the game at one. Rochester quickly responded in the bottom half of the inning as Jackson Norum delivered an RBI single to put the Honkers back in front.
The Hot Tots grabbed momentum in the fifth inning. After reaching on an error and drawing a walk, Minot plated a run on an RBI double before another run scored on a groundout to third base, giving the visitors a 3-2 lead.
Rochester wasted little time responding.
Cameron Sewell, still searching for his first hit of the season, connected on a pitch and sent it soaring over the right-field wall and beyond the apartment complex for a game-tying home run. A few batters later, Matt MacDonald singled up the middle before Jackson Glueck crushed a two-run homer to right field, putting the Honkers back in front.
Glueck credited his approach at the plate following the game.
“I was just seeing the ball early, seeing it out of the hand, and trying to hit it hard,” Glueck said.
The Honkers’ offense quieted down for the next few innings but added an important insurance run when pinch-runner Matthew Maize came around to score on a wild pitch, extending Rochester’s lead to 6-3.
The ninth inning brought plenty of drama.
With a three-run advantage, Peyton Huff was called upon to close out the game. Minot refused to go away quietly, scoring two runs and loading the bases with two outs, cutting the deficit to just one run.
In a situation eerily similar to the previous night, Jacome turned to Trent Adrian for the final out.
Adrian delivered, inducing a pop-up that settled into the glove of first baseman Nick Bowron to end the game and preserve the Honkers’ victory.
Afterward, Adrian spoke about the mindset of this year’s Rochester squad.
“This team is different, plain and simple,” Adrian said. “The vibes, everything about it. We’re here to win. We’re obviously here to have fun, play baseball, and get better, but we’re here to win.”
The Honkers backed up that mentality Friday night, holding off Minot to claim the opening game of the series.
Rochester and Minot will meet again Saturday night at 6:35 p.m., with the Honkers looking to secure the series victory.
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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. Now in its’ 32nd season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 24 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, 360 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 two-time World Series Champion Max Scherzer (TOR), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford and World Series Champion and Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. League games are viewable live on FloSports. For more information, visit www.rochesterhonkers.com 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.
