ROCHESTER, Minn. – The Rochester Honkers rode a dominant pitching performance and timely hitting to a 5-3 victory over the Duluth Huskies in game one of a two-game series at Mayo Field.
Head coach Jason Jacome handed the ball to the lefty, Alito McBean for his sixth start of the season, and the sophomore responded with his best outing of the summer.
McBean found himself in immediate trouble after issuing back-to-back walks to open the game, but escaped the jam with a ground-ball double play followed by a strikeout to keep Duluth off the scoreboard.
Duluth starter Devin Doyle matched McBean early, holding the Honkers scoreless in the first inning. Rochester broke through in the second after Robert Orr singled and consecutive walks loaded the bases. Nick Bowron lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, giving the Honkers a 1-0 lead.
McBean cruised through the first three innings before Duluth’s lineup broke through in the fourth. Kayden Campbell reached and later scored on Jalen Smith’s RBI single to tie the game at one. Dax Hardcastle then reached on a fielder’s choice before George McIntyre launched a two-run double off the right-field scoreboard, putting the Huskies in front 3-1.
Despite the setback, McBean settled back in and kept the Duluth offense in check.
Rochester answered in the bottom of the fifth. Bowron led off with a single before the Honkers mounted a two-out rally. Newcomer Angel Santiago ripped an RBI double into the left-center field gap, and Jackson Glueck followed with an RBI single that scored Santiago from second, knotting the game at 3-3.
Head coach Fernando Loera has been impressed with Santiago’s impact since joining the club.
“I think he’s just not afraid to swing the bat,” Loera said. “He gets his pitches early in the counts, and when he misses them, he stays in there and is ready for the next one.”
McBean continued to dominate over the next two innings, retiring hitters efficiently through the sixth and seventh while giving Rochester the opportunity to rally.
The right-hander credited his ability to attack hitters early in the count for his strong finish.
“I was trying to get ahead 1-0 every single at-bat,” McBean said. “I kind of struggled with that for the first four innings. My pitch count was kind of up there, and then as soon as I hit the fifth, it was lights out because I started getting ahead and really executing those two-strike pitches.”
With the game tied entering the bottom of the seventh, the Honkers finally regained the lead.
Sam Brunetti drew a leadoff walk before Matt Maize hit a chopper that slipped under the glove of shortstop Kayden Campbell. The error allowed Maize to reach second while Brunetti advanced to third. A sacrifice fly gave Rochester the lead, and a run-scoring single later in the inning extended the advantage to 5-3.
Vaughn Johnson took over on the mound and slammed the door. The right-hander tossed two scoreless innings to earn the save, securing Rochester’s 5-3 victory and moving the Honkers into first place in the Great Plains East Division.
The Honkers will look for the series sweep when they host the Huskies in game two on Friday at 6:35 p.m. at Mayo Field.
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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 at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. 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.
