Honkers' Pitching Shines Once Again in 2-1 Win
June 2, 2023 - Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Rochester Honkers News Release
The Rochester Honkers (4-1) entered their duel on 'Rivalry Night' vs. the Mankato MoonDogs (2-3) leading the Northwoods League in team ERA at 1.75. That number decreased tonight as four Honkers scattered four hits across nine innings in a narrow one-run victory in game three of a five-game home stand.
Once again, the story of the game was Rochester's pitching. For the fourth time in five games, the Honkers' starter went at least five innings allowing less than two runs. Tonight, Rochester featured their first lefty starter in the form of Matthew Brock (1-0) (San Joaquin Delta College).
Despite navigating a lineup featuring six right-handed bats, the southpaw excelled in his Honkers debut - going 5.2 innings and allowing just one unearned run while striking out five MoonDogs.
The trio of Tyler Frey (Wingate University), Will Kent (South Dakota State University), and Drew Fifer (Indiana State) put in a pristine shift in relief as each pitcher played a pivotal role in the Honkers' second straight win.
Frey worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the 6th inning while Kent was the eighth-inning setup man for Fifer. The Honkers' closer, pitching for the second consecutive game, came in and struck out the side to finalize the win in front of an energized home crowd.
Dating back to after the first inning vs. Thunder Bay, the Honkers have allowed just one run in the last 26 innings.
Rochester scored their only two runs in the first inning after newcomer Chase Spencer (Air Force) and Jakob Guardado (Pasadena City College) recorded back-to-back hits to start the home half of the first. After Griffen Sotomayor (Washington State) struck out with the bases loaded and no outs, Jared Davis (TCU) recorded an RBI groundout, and Guardado scored on a throwing error from Joe Hauser (Minnesota), which would prove to be the difference in the game.
For the second straight game, Guardado was Rochester's most productive hitter. The right fielder recorded another two-hit game, his third multi-hit game of the season.
Rochester will look to move to 5-1 and continue their early season success tomorrow in game two of the series vs. Mankato. The scheduled first pitch time is 6:35 p.m.
Northwoods League Stories from June 2, 2023
- Battle Jacks Drop Game One of the Series to Rivets 6-1, Alleva Hits his First Home Run of the Season - Battle Creek Battle Jacks
- Kingfish Fall to Pit-Spitters in Series Opener - Kenosha Kingfish
- Rafters Unable to Complete the Comeback Against Fond du Lac - Wisconsin Rapids Rafters
- Honkers' Pitching Shines Once Again in 2-1 Win - Rochester Honkers
- Larks Can't Find Offense, Lose Second Straight in Series Opener to Stingers - Bismarck Larks
- Growlers Dominate on Opening Night at Homer Stryker Field - Kalamazoo Growlers
- Express Earn First Home Win of the Season - Eau Claire Express
- Stingers Bounce Back, Win 5-2 Over Larks in Series Opener - Willmar Stingers
- Rox Jump to 13-Run Lead in Home Opener, Look to Repeat at Home Tomorrow - St. Cloud Rox
- Rockers Fall at Home to Woodchucks - Green Bay Rockers
- Late Defense Haunts the Mallards in Loss - Madison Mallards
- Huskies Win Home Opener Behind Strong Start from Dodson - Duluth Huskies
- Pit Spitters Jump Kingfish - Traverse City Pit Spitters
- MoonDogs' Offense Goes Quiet in 2-1 Loss to Rochester - Mankato MoonDogs
- First Win on the Road for the Woodchucks - Wausau Woodchucks
- Chinooks Defeat Mallards in Home Opener - Lakeshore Chinooks
- Rivets Beat Kingfish in Walk-Off Fashion - Rockford Rivets
- Over 200 Northwoods League Players Earn 2023 All-Conference Honors in Division I - Northwoods
- Rockers Return to Green Bay in Search of Fifth Straight Win - Green Bay Rockers
- Slow Start Hinders Stingers, Fall 11-7 to Eau Claire - Willmar Stingers
- Meyer And Guardado Lead Honkers In Win Over Thunder Bay - Rochester Honkers
- Express Have Big Inning, Grab First Win of the Season - Eau Claire Express
- Kingfish Fall 5-4 for Series Split - Kenosha Kingfish
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