ROCHESTER, Minn. — The Rochester Honkers earned a split of their two-game series against the Rockford Rivets with an offensive explosion in a 15-9 victory on Wednesday night.

In a game that featured momentum swings from both sides, Rochester’s lineup proved too much to overcome, piling up 15 runs behind a strong start from Franco Moran.

Making his first start after primarily working out of the bullpen this season, Moran looked comfortable from the outset.

The Honkers wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. After Sam Harry reached on an error to open the game, Nolan Ganter delivered an RBI single to give Rochester an early 1-0 lead.

The offense settled down over the next few innings as Rockford answered with single runs in the third and fourth to take a brief 2-1 advantage.

Rochester responded in the bottom of the fourth. A trio of singles from the middle of the order helped plate two runs and put the Honkers back in front, 3-2.

Moran continued to cruise through the fifth inning before the Honkers’ offense broke the game open.

Jackson Norum led off the bottom of the fifth with a single, setting the table for Sam Harry, who launched a two-run home run to deep center field. Four walks and a pair of singles followed as Rochester erupted for six runs in the inning to build a 9-2 lead.

Rockford refused to go away quietly. In the sixth inning, Zan von Schlegell connected on a three-run home run after Moran left a pitch over the plate, cutting the deficit to 9-5.

Moran bounced back with a scoreless seventh inning to finish an impressive outing, allowing the bullpen to take over.

Field manager Jason Jacome praised Moran’s performance after the game.

“He went out there and threw strikes and competed, you know, like you want your starters to do,” Jacome said. “He went out there and battled the whole time and gave up some runs, but kept us in the game, and that’s what we needed him to do.”

Moran completed seven innings, giving Rochester exactly the length it needed.

The Honkers added even more insurance in the bottom of the seventh. Three consecutive singles set the stage for Jackson Norum, who crushed a three-run home run to extend the lead.

Rockford mounted one final rally in the eighth as Davis Collie cleared the bases with a three-run double during a four-run inning, but Rochester immediately answered. Nolan Ganter and Cameron Sewell hit back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the eighth to put the finishing touches on the 15-9 victory.

After the game, second baseman Cameron Sewell emphasized the importance of getting back in the win column.

“It’s big to get the momentum back on our side,” Sewell said. “I mean, it’s what we need, and we’re going to keep going. Just keep the momentum going forward.”

The Honkers will look to carry that momentum into Thursday night’s home opener of a two-game series against Thunder Bay. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.