(Thunder Bay, Ont.) – The Rochester Honkers (5-2 Second Half, 21-21 Overall) won their third straight game with a 5-0 shutout victory against the Thunder Bay Border Cats (3-4, 16-26) Tuesday night at Port Arthur Stadium. The original start time was delayed two hours due to rain.
Griffin Neuer (Bellarmine) started on the mound after the rain delay. He pitched two scoreless innings, holding the Border Cats to one hit. Thunder Bay put runners on second and third in the second inning, but Neuer got a strikeout and a fly out to escape the inning.
Kevin Biondic (Maryland) started the game for the Border Cats. He pitched four scoreless innings, giving up two hits while striking out three batters and walking two.
Mike Echavia (Nevada) broke the scoreless game in the top of the sixth inning off the Thunder Bay bullpen with a solo home run with two outs.
The Honkers loaded the bases to start the top of the eighth inning. David Noworyta (Hawaii) drove in Ryan Fitzpatrick (UC Irvine) on a fielder’s choice to second base. Konnor Zickefoose (UC Irvine) and Johnathan Fleek (Western Illinois) followed with back-to-back singles, driving in three runs and extending the Honkers lead to 5-0.
Manny Armendariz (Doane), the originally-named starter, relieved Neuer to start the third inning. He pitched the final seven innings of the game and earned the win (3-0) for the Honkers. He held the Border Cats scoreless, giving up only three hits while striking out nine batters.
Seth Rosenberg (Northern Kentucky) took the loss (0-1) for the Border Cats. He pitched three innings in relief, giving up three runs on three hits while striking out five batters and walking one.
The Honkers finish the series in Thunder Bay tomorrow night. First pitch from Port Arthur Stadium is 6:05 p.m. Central Time. Beau O’Hara (Texas) is scheduled to start on the mound for the Honkers. O’Hara is 2-1 this season with a 3.37 ERA.
The next home game for the Honkers is Thursday, July 13, against the Waterloo Bucks. It will be Field of Future Stars Night, presented by Meshbesher & Spence. All RYBA, RYSA, RYHA, girl’s softball, and Miracle League players that wear their uniform tops will receive a free general admission ticket. Minnesota Twins' organist, Sue Nelson, will be playing organ before and during the game. There will also be a 50/50 raffle for Bolder Options. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Gates open at 6:00 p.m.
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The Rochester Honkers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 23-year-old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 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, 180 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM) and Lucas Duda (NYM). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. 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.
