Honkers Win 11-7 and Move Toward Playoff Berth
July 2, 2023 - Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Rochester Honkers News Release
In the penultimate game of the first half, the Rochester Honkers (18-15) defeated the Eau Claire Express (19-14) by a final score of 11-7. Rochester has put themselves in a position where if they win and the Thunder Bay Border Cats and Duluth Huskies both lose, the Honkers would win the Great Plains East first-half championship and clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2011.
Matt Brock (San Joaquin Delta College) got the start for the Honkers and immediately ran into trouble. After retiring the first hitter, he walked the next three straight batters, and a sacrifice fly gave the Express a 1-0 lead. The Honkers responded right away in the top of the second as Kimo Fukofuka smashed a solo home run way over the left field fence to tie the game at one and took over the Northwoods League lead in home runs with eight.
Eau Claire took the lead again by scoring two in the second, and the Honkers got another run back in the third inning. Brock came out after two innings, and Max Meyer (Frontier CC) relieved him, tossed four innings, and only gave up two runs.
In the fifth, the Honkers put up three runs and took the lead as Nico Regino's (Charleston Southern) double down the left field line, plated two, and put him atop the all-time hits list for the Rochester Honkers franchise! After today, through three seasons, Regino has tallied 91 total hits.
Heading into the sixth inning, the Honkers were ahead 5-4 and were looking to break the game open. They scored five times in the top of the sixth, and it was capped off with a bases-clearing double by Fukofuka, which gave the Honkers a 10-5 lead.
Trevor Lee (Wichita State) came in to pitch in the seventh inning and finished off the game to earn the three-inning save. He had a hiccup in the ninth as he allowed two runs, but the Honkers' offensive outburst was far too much for Eau Claire to overcome.
The Honkers are back in action tomorrow to close out the first half against the Eau Claire Express at home. First pitch is at 6:35 pm.
Northwoods League Stories from July 2, 2023
- Honkers Win 11-7 and Move Toward Playoff Berth - Rochester Honkers
- Spitters Lose Second Straight, Need One to Clinch - Traverse City Pit Spitters
- Rockers Defeat Mallards, Move Just a Half-Game Back of First Place - Green Bay Rockers
- Mallards Stifled by Green Bay Pitching in Series Opener - Madison Mallards
- Rivets Dominate Pit Spitters in Race for First Place - Rockford Rivets
- Honkers' Bats Too Much for Express - Eau Claire Express
- Dock Spiders Shut Out By Rafters At Home 2-0 - Fond du Lac Dock Spiders
- Lakeshore Plays Spoiler in Game 1 Win - Lakeshore Chinooks
- Wisconsin Rapids Shuts out Dock Spiders, Enters 1st in the Division - Wisconsin Rapids Rafters
- Wausau Falls to Lakeshore, out of Contention for First Half Title - Wausau Woodchucks
- Rockford Drops 5-4 Heartbreaker to Traverse City - Rockford Rivets
- Spitters Magic Number Still at 1, Despite Loss - Traverse City Pit Spitters
- Rockers Head to Madison for Final First-Half Series - Green Bay Rockers
- Rochester Pitching Falters in Blowout Loss - Rochester Honkers
- Hill's Performance Propels Dock Spiders Over Woodchucks 10-3 - Fond du Lac Dock Spiders
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