(Willmar, Minn.) – The Rochester Honkers (9-10 Second Half, 25-29 Overall) broke a five-game losing streak with a 7-4 win over the Willmar Stingers (13-8, 31-26) Thursday night at Bill Taunton Stadium. David Noworyta (Hawaii) scored two runs and drove in another himself.
Rochester scored two runs on an error by the Willmar shortstop with no outs in the top of the fourth inning. Ethan Ibarra (St. Cloud State) followed with an RBI groundout to the shortstop, which scored Kenyon Yovan (Oregon).
David Noworyta (Hawaii) walked to lead off the top of the sixth inning and scored on a double to center field by Yovan. A single by Jordan Hart (Minnesota State-Mankato) and a sacrifice fly by Johnathan Fleek (Western Illinois) each brought in a run, extending the Honker lead to 6-0.
Willmar loaded the bases to start the bottom of the sixth inning on two walks and a Rochester error. A sacrifice fly to right field by Tyler Murray (Hawaii) put the Stingers on the scoreboard. Two batters later, a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch cut the Rochester lead to four runs.
Noworyta collected his second hit of the game, an RBI double to right field in the top of the seventh inning, which scored Zach Zubia (Texas).
Willmar entered the ninth inning trailing by three runs. The Stingers threatened with two runners on-base with one out. Spencer Johnson (Wayne State) closed out the game for his first save of the season. Johnson pitched the final three innings of the game, giving up two runs on six hits while striking out three batters and walking one.
Chia-Ching Ho (National Taiwan Sports University) earned the win (2-2) for the Honkers. He pitched 5.1 innings, giving up two runs on five hits while striking out one batter and walking four.
Nick Lackney (Minnesota) took the loss (3-2) for the Stingers. He pitched 5.1 innings, giving up six runs on six hits while striking out three batters and walking four.
The Honkers will finish the series against the Willmar Stingers tomorrow, July 28. First pitch from Bill Taunton Stadium is 7:05 p.m. Drew Slade (Ripon) is scheduled to pitch for the Honkers. Slade is 4-1 this season with 28 strikeouts in six starts. Gus Varland (Concordia St. Paul) is 4-1 this season with a 0.89 ERA.
The next home game for the Flock is Sunday, July 30, against the La Crosse Loggers. It will be Dash for Cash Day, presented by Country Financial. One lucky registered fan will be selected to win up to $1,000 on the field. The contestant will have 30 seconds to pick up a pile of money, located 45 feet away, using a snow shovel. The amount of money the contestant can place in their container will be theirs to keep. It will also be Bob & Steve’s Corn Sunday on the Sports Deck and Slider’s Kids Club Day. Kids eat for free on the Sports Deck and can run the bases after the game. Gates open at noon. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m.
###
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, more than 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.
