Lukkason's Slam Lifts Honkers over Rox
Published on August 11, 2012 under Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Rochester Honkers News Release
(Rochester, MN) - There were fireworks on and off the field and old records were broken at Mayo Field on Saturday night as the Honkers came all the way from behind to beat the St. Cloud Rox by a final score of 13-12.
With the Honkers trailing by a score of 12-9 in the bottom of the eighth inning, shortstop Mike Lukkason stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and delivered with a grand slam to left-center field to put the Honkers on top.
Dakota Smith (Kansas) came in to close the game and shut the Rox down 1-2-3 to earn his fifth save of the season.
The Honkers offense registered 16 hits and belted three home runs in the victory.
The game got off to a rather inauspicious start however.
Rochester starter Phil Richmond (Coe) lasted just 1.0 inning in his first official start of the summer. Richmond allowed five total runs (three earned) on four hits and a walk, while striking out one Rox batter in that opening frame.
The Honkers responded with four runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning on a Justin Parr (Illinois) solo home run and a three-run blast from catcher Chris Manning (Doane). The bomb for Parr was his eighth of the summer and it extended his Honkers-record hitting streak to 23 games.
The Rox scored three runs in the third and one in each of the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings, but the Honkers offense did not back down. They plated two of their own in the fifth and sixth, and the Lukkason bomb capped off a four-run eighth inning.
Parr finished the game 4 for 5 to become the Honkers single-season hits leader with 89 total base knocks. The previous record was held by Kevin Lucas, who collected 88 hits in 1996.
Reid Roper (Illinois) got the win after pitching 2.2 innings of one-run baseball on three hits. Roper is now 3-3.
Manning joined Justin Parr with a four-hit game of his own, and also scored twice and drove in three runs. First baseman Cole Lankford (Texas A&M) went 2 for 5 with a run.
Tomorrow, August 12th, the Honkers (13-21, 28-41) and Rox (20-15, 29-40) square off for the series finale, and last game of the 2012 season, at 1:05 PM in Rochester, MN. Righty Kevin Johnson (Illinois) will get the start on the hill for the Honkers. In 10 games, Johnson is 2-3 with a 5.70 ERA. Starting for the Rox is right-hander Lucas Long (Arizona). Long has a 3-1 record and an ERA of 4.08 in six games.
Northwoods League Stories from August 11, 2012
- Lukkason's Slam Lifts Honkers over Rox - Rochester Honkers
- Mallards Walk-Off against Woodchucks in Home Finale - Madison Mallards
- Season Finale Awaits Bullfrogs on Sunday - Green Bay Rockers
- Rafters Shut Out at Witter Field, 4-0 - Wisconsin Rapids Rafters
- Hoppe Outstanding in Final Start Saturday - Lakeshore Chinooks
- Teague, Tukey, Complete Double Header Sweep - Battle Creek Battle Jacks
- Mallards Look to Signoff from the "Duck Pond" with Win - Madison Mallards
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