High Point 10, Lexington 3
 

LEXINGTON, Ky. – High Point’s Zander Wiel blasted a pair of home runs and pitcher Craig Stem won for the first time in 2023 as the Rockers opened a three-game series in Lexington with a 10-3 win at Counter Clocks Field. Stem, High Point’s Opening Night starter, had made just three appearances all season due to injury.

Stem, 33, suffered a broken hand just two innings into that Opening Night start. After returning on July 3, he made two starts before suffering another injury that kept him sidelined for another month. He went five innings vs. the Counter Clocks on Tuesday, allowing just four hits and walking one while striking out five. He is now 1-1 on the season while registering his 14^th win as a Rocker and his 30^th all-time Atlantic League win.

Shed Long, Jr. drilled the first pitch of the game over the fence in right center off Lexington starter Alsis Herrera to give the Rockers an early 1-0 lead. After Herrera induced a fly out by D.J. Burt, Ben Aklinski lined a single to left and then scored from first on a Quincy Latimore double.

Herrera continued to pitch himself into trouble in the second. After retiring the first two hitters, Herrera walked Ryan Grotjohn , allowed a single to Long, Jr. and then walked Burt to load the bases. Aklinski’s ground rule double scored two and Latimore followed with a single to left to bring home Burt and Aklinski for a 6-0 lead.

Lexington put up its first run in the fourth when J.C. Encarnacion singled, moved to second on a walk to Logan Brown and then stole third. From there, he scored on a ground out by Aldenis Sanchez to cut Lexington’s deficit to 6-1.

Reliever Victor Lopez allowed a solo homer to Wiel for a 7-1 lead in the fifth before Ryan Grotjohn hit a solo homer in the sixth off Patrick Ledet for an 8-1 Rockers advantage.

Jeremy Rhoades took over for Stem in the sixth and allowed three consecutive singles to load the bases. Brown brought home one run with a sacrifice fly before Rhoades induced Mitch Ghelfi into a 6-3 double play with Grotjohn making the play up the middle.

Wiel’s second homer of the night, and his 21^st of the year, brought home Beau Taylor ahead of him and put the Rockers up 10-2 in the seventh. Encarnacion hit a solo homer in the top of the ninth to complete the scoring.

Kyle Halbohn went the final two innings backing up Rhoades and struck out one.

The Rockers remain deadlocked with Gastonia in the Atlantic League’s South Division. The two clubs share first place with identical 19-12 second half records and each club is 60-34 for the full season. The Rockers stand at 26 games over .500 for the year, tying their high water mark in franchise history.

Game two of the three-game set will take place on Wednesday at 6:45 p.m. at Counter Clocks Field. The game will be live streamed on FLO Baseball and also available on the Mixlr app.

NOTES: D.J. Burt reached base for the 49^th consecutive game, drawing a second inning walk and a pair of singles. The longest streak in the Atlantic League since 2019 is a 50-game streak in 2022 by York’s Carlos Franco. The longest on-base streak in MLB this year is 37 games by Jurickson Profar of the Colorado Rockies… Burt once had a 67-game on-base streak when he reached base in 56 consecutive games for Idaho Falls in 2015 and then was on-base in the first seven games of 2016 while playing for the Lexington Legends… Craig Stem tied Bryce Hensley for the Rockers franchise record for career wins with 14… It was also Stem’s 30^th Atlantic League after he previously pitched for New Britain and So. Maryland before coming to High Point… He becomes just the 47^th pitcher to achieve 30 wins in the Atlantic League… High Point and Gastonia each became the first ALPB clubs to 60 wins with victories on Tuesday… The Honey Hunters overcame a 5-1 deficit to walk-off York on a Steven Moya RBI single in the bottom of the ninth.

Charleston 6, Staten Island 0

The FerryHawks lost to the Charleston Dirty Birds by a score of 6-0 on Tuesday night in Staten Island. The Hawks entered the game having won 8 of their last 10 and only a game and a half out of first. 

The bats struggled to get going in this contest, which has been a rarity for the scorching hot Hawks who scored 13+ runs three times in the last week. Tonight was a different story. 

The Dirty Birds pitching staff held the potent FerryHawks lineup in check as the hometown squad only mustered up 2 hits. 

Starter Nick Beardsley exited with a final line of 4 innings, 4 hits, 4 runs, 6 walks, and 4 strikeouts. He was relieved by newcomer Ethan Skujia who surrendered 2 more runs. Skujia was followed by Ryan Mitschele who ended it off on the mound for the FerryHawks with 2 clean innings. 

The two teams will square off again tomorrow as they play a single-admission double header starting at 3:30PM. It’s Weenie and Wing Wednesday in Hawk, and fans can get a ticket and a hotdog for $12 or a ticket and an order of Kettle Black wings for $18! 

Long Island 7, Lancaster 6, suspended

(Lancaster, Pa., Aug. 15, 2023) – Tuesday’s (August 15) series opener between the Long Island Ducks and Lancaster Barnstormers at Clipper Magazine Stadium has been suspended in the top of the eighth inning due to unplayable field conditions, with the Ducks leading 7-6.

Brantley Bell's RBI double to left field and Ernie Geraci's RBI single to left, his first hit and RBI as a Duck, gave Long Island a 2-0 lead in the fourth. Lancaster tied the game at two in the sixth on a two-out, two-run single to right by Wilson Garcia.

Carlos Castro immediately put the Ducks back in front with a two-run home run to right field in the seventh, making it a 4-2 game. However, a four-run rally with two outs in the bottom of the inning, highlighted by Yeison Coca’s two-run single and Andretty Cordero’s two-run double, put the Barnstormers on top 4-2.

Alex Dickerson crushed a mammoth three-run homer to right with two outs in the eighth, restoring Long Island’s lead at 7-6. However, the skies opened immediately thereafter, and the game was ultimately suspended.

The game will be continued from the moment it was stopped on Wednesday, August 16, at 5:00 p.m. Wednesday’s regularly scheduled 6:30 p.m. game between the teams will follow thereafter.

Neither starter will factor into the decision. Kyle Lobstein tossed six innings of four-run ball for the Ducks, allowing eight hit and three walks with one strikeout. Jared Lakind lasted five innings for the Barnstormers, yielding two runs on six hits and four walks with three strikeouts.

Fans can follow all the action for the continued game and suspended game live on Flo Baseball by CLICKING HERE. Right-hander Robert Stock (7-2, 4.13) takes the mound for the Ducks in the regularly scheduled game against Barnstormers righty Nile Ball (6-5, 5.61).

Long Island returns home on Friday, August 18, to begin a three-game set against the Charleston Dirty Birds. The first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive Ducks Cooling Towels, courtesy of Merch & Swag. It’s also a Tap Room Friday at the ballpark, and Ducks staff members will be handing out coupons for 20% off your entire meal at The Tap Room as fans exit the ballpark following the game. It’s a Grand Slam Friday as well, and the sixth inning will be designated as the Grand Slam Inning. If the Ducks fourth batter of the inning launches a home run with the bases loaded, one lucky fan will win $25,000. Tickets to the game, and all Ducks home games, are available by visiting the Fairfield Properties Ballpark box office, calling (631) 940-TIXX or CLICKING HERE.

Gastonia 6, York 5

(August 15, 2023 – Gastonia, NC):  The York Revolution suffered a heartbreaking defeat, losing 6-5 on a walk-off base hit in the bottom of the ninth inning to the Gastonia Honey Hunters in Tuesday evening’s series opener at CaroMont Health Park.

York jumped to an early lead as Trent Giambrone slammed a leadoff homer to left in the top of the first. It was his 20th home run of the season and his fifth to lead off a game, tying both Revs single-season and career record for leadoff long balls.

Tomo Otosaka (4-for-4) followed with a single and Troy Stokes Jr. doubled to deep right. Both scored as Drew Mendoza slapped an RBI infield single with shortstop Jake Hoover uncorking a throwing error, giving the Revs a 3-0 lead.

York had a chance for more as Trey Martin reached on an error and stole second to put runners at second and third with no outs, but Gastonia lefty Gunnar Kines escaped without any further damage.

The Honey Hunters got on the board in the bottom of the second as Pedro Gonzalez blooped a two-out RBI single to right, cutting York’s lead to 3-1.

Martin drilled a two-run homer to left center, his career-high 13th round tripper of the season, in the top of the third as the Revs’ lead expanded to 5-1.

York failed to score the rest of the way as Kines’ final two innings were scoreless, Ryan Williamson logged three shutout frames in relief, and Parker Bugg stranded two in a scoreless ninth.

Revs starter Tom Sutera was solid, giving up just two runs in 5.2 innings, exiting with a 5-2 lead. His only other run allowed came on a solo homer to left center by Steven Moya in the bottom of the sixth.

Will McAffer coaxed an inning-ending ground out to strand a runner in the sixth and Ben Dum recorded three fly ball outs in a perfect seventh.

Things fell apart in the final two innings as Gastonia took advantage of control issues against the back end of the Revs’ bullpen.

J.P. Woodward walked his first two batters in the bottom of the eighth and jumped ahead of Scott Manea only to put him aboard on a hit by pitch to load the bases. A walk to Braxton Davidson forced in a run to make it 5-3 with still no outs. Emilker Guzman struck out David Washington for the first out, but uncorked a wild pitch to make it a one-run game. After striking out Gonzalez, Guzman retired Hoover on a ground out to preserve a slim 5-4 edge.

Revs closer Will Carter (1-2) failed to record an out in the bottom of the ninth, as again, a leadoff walk spelled doom as Kevin Santa reached to start the inning. Luis Curbelo singled up the middle and Zach Jarrett walked to load the bags. Moya finished the comeback for Gastonia with a two-run ground ball single into right, as the Revs suffered their fourth walk-off defeat of the season and their fourth consecutive loss overall.

York righty Pedro Vasquez (6-1, 5.97) will look to right the Revs’ ship on Wednesday against Honey Hunters lefty Harry Rutkowski (0-0, 10.45) at 6:35 p.m. Revs fans can catch the action live on SportsRadio 98.9 FM & 1350 WOYK, 989woyk.com, The New WOYK app, and FloBaseball.TV beginning at 6:15 p.m. with Darrell Henry on the call.

Southern Maryland 6, Spire City 4