Gastonia Lengthens Lead on Rockers with 9-4 Victory
June 25, 2024 - Atlantic League (AtL)
High Point Rockers News Release
GASTONIA, N.C. - The Gastonia Baseball Club tagged High Point's pitching staff for 15 hits and five home runs in posting a 9-4 win Tuesday night at CaroMont Health Park in Gastonia.
The win leaves Gastonia (38-16) with a five-game lead over the Rockers (34-21) as the two clubs contend for the Atlantic League's South Division first half pennant. Gastonia has taken the first four games of the season series and the two have five more meetings before the first half concludes on July 5.
The Rockers will send Neil Ramirez to the mound in Wednesday's game to face Gastonia's Mike Wright, Jr.
High Point took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third on Tuesday night, taking advantage of a pair of walks by Gastonia starter Nick Wells (W, 3-0) to D.J. Burt and Evan Edwards. With one out, Connor Owings' grounder to Josh Wylie went for an error, allowing Burt to score.
Gastonia tied the game in the bottom of the third on a double by Joe Gray, Jr., and a single by Kevin Watson, Jr.
Fritz Genther, a recent graduate of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell who signed with the Rockers on Saturday, earned his first professional hit with a solo homer to right to put the Rockers ahead 2-1.
Gastonia responded to Genther's homer with a five-run fifth inning, starting with a solo blast by Dean Miller to level the score at 2-2. Watson followed with a double off High Point starter Ben Braymer (L. 2-2) and Josh Stowers singled to put runners on the corners. After Patrick Mazeika doubled home a run, giving Gastonia a 3-2 lead, the Rockers brought in Austin Ross who was greeted by a three-run homer from Wylie, giving Gastonia a 6-2 advantage.
Gastonia's lead grew to 8-2 with back-to-back solo shots from Marc Flores and Miller off Ross in the bottom of the sixth.
The Rockers loaded the bases in the seventh after Clayton Mehlbauer hit a one-out double. An Evan Edwards single brought Mehlbauer around to score and cut the deficit to 8-3.
Jacob Edwards held Gastonia scoreless in the seventh before Zander Wiel made it an 8-4 game with a one out solo homer in the eighth. Stowers homered in the bottom of the eighth to put Gastonia up 9-4.
Game two of the series is slated for a 7:00 p.m. start on Wednesday at CaroMont Health Park.
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Atlantic League Stories from June 25, 2024
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