(La Crosse, Wis.) – The Rochester Honkers (9-12 Second Half, 25-31 Overall) fell to the La Crosse Loggers (11-13, 25-33) by a score of 15-8 Saturday night at Copeland Park. The Honkers scored seven runs after falling behind 0-4 early, but the Loggers reclaimed the lead in the seventh inning. The entire Honkers starting lineup contributed on offense, either scoring a run or collecting a hit.
A Honker error and an RBI double by Kennie Taylor (Duke) scored two runs for the Loggers in the bottom of the second inning. La Crosse added two more runs in the third inning on two singles and a sacrifice fly.
The La Crosse starting pitcher, Derik Beauprez (Nova Southeastern), held the Honkers scoreless on four hits over the first four innings. Rochester unloaded on Beauprez in the top of the fifth inning with six runs on six hits. With one out, six consecutive Honker batters reached base on five singles and a walk, giving Rochester their first lead of the game.
Weston Hatten (Nevada) was hit by a pitch to lead off the top of the sixth inning. After a walk, Hatten stole third base. An errant throw by the La Crosse catcher allowed Hatten to score from third for the seventh run of the game.
La Crosse tied the game at 7-7 with three runs on four hits in the bottom of the sixth inning, including a leadoff home run by Ryan Mantle (Jefferson CC).
Korey Lee (California) led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a solo home run. The next two Loggers were retired, but La Crosse loaded the bases in the next three at-bats. David Villar (South Florida) broke the game open with a grand slam to left field.
Ryan Fitzpatrick (UC Irvine) doubled to lead off the top of the ninth inning and scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by David Noworyta (Hawaii), but the Honkers could not make any more late-inning magic.
Sam Messina (Army) earned the win (2-2) for the Loggers. He pitched 4.2 innings, giving up two runs on two runs while striking out six batters and walking three.
Jacob Green (Lake Erie) took the loss (0-2) for the Honkers. He pitched 0.2 innings, giving up five runs on three hits while walking three batters.
The Honkers will return home tomorrow, July 30, to take on the La Crosse Loggers. It will be Dash for Cash Day, presented by Country Financial. One fan will have the chance 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. Michael Stryffeler (Lake Erie) is scheduled to pitch for the Honkers. Stryffeler has 18 strikeouts in 24.2 innings. Peter Hamot (Lewis) is scheduled to pitch for the Loggers. Hamot is 2-1 this season with a 4.23 ERA. Gates open at noon. First pitch is 1:05 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, 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.
