Rochester, Minn.—A late inning rally falls short as the Stingers lose to the Honkers in the series finale 9-6.

John Bezdicek (Southwest Minn.-State) made the start on the mound against Rochester.
The Honkers’ bats were hot as they scored seven unanswered runs in the first four innings. Three solo homeruns were hit in the bottom of the first inning to put the Honkers up 3-0. Rochester had another big inning in the fourth to extend their lead. Four hits scored three runs for Rochester as they took a 7-0 lead.

Joel Cheatwood (Montevallo) was first in relief for the Stingers. He pitched 2.1 innings without allowing a run. He walked one Rochester batter while striking out three. It was Riley Johnson (Pepperdine) that got the Stingers on the board when his bases loaded single scored Haupt. 7-1 Honkers. Casey Dykstra (Azuza Pacific) pitched the seventh for the Stingers. The Honkers extended their lead that inning as they collected two more runs. 9-1 Honkers.

Kade Lancour (Ripon College) pitched a clean eighth inning before the Stingers started their ninth inning rally. Noah Haupt (New Mexico State) got things started in the inning when his base hit scored King. The game became interesting when Kaden Fowler (Georgia) hit a grand slam to shorten the Honkers’ lead. The Stingers scored five runs in the ninth but that was not enough as the Honkers took the game by a score of 9-6.

The Stingers will be back in action tomorrow as they open up a two-game series at Bill Taunton Stadium against the Mankato Moondogs. First pitch 7:05pm CT!