Rockers move into 1st with win at Hagerstown

HAGERSTOWN, Md. – The High Point Rockers won their fifth consecutive game and their 41st game of the season in downing the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars 7-3 at Meritus Park on Friday night. Evan Edwards led the Rockers offense with three hits and an RBI while Ben Aklinski and Connor Owings each supplied a pair of hits and a home run in winning High Point’s first-ever meeting with Hagerstown.

The Rockers are now 5-1 in the second half and lead the Atlantic League’s South Division standings. Gastonia lost to Lexington 4-2 on Friday night to fall to 4-1 in the second half. High Point is 41-28 overall and hold a five-game lead over Lancaster in the Wild Card race.

The Rockers took a 2-0 lead on a single by lead-off hitter Gilberto Jimenez and a Ben Aklinski double. Owings brought home Jimenez with an infield groundout and Aklinski scored on Quincy Latimore’s groundout to third.

Hagerstown responded in the bottom half of the first by tying the game on a lead-off solo homer from Andrew Moritz and an RBI single from Dariel Gomez.

Aklinski gave the Rockers a 3-2 lead in the third with his 16th home run of the season.

High Point scored three times in the fifth to take a 6-2 lead.  Owings reached base on a two-out double and Latimore drew a walk from Hagerstown starter Mike Kickham (L, 4-6). Edwards singled up the middle to plate Owings and leave Latimore at third and Edwards at second. Jake Washer then hit a soft broken bat liner that first baseman Joe Campagna couldn’t handle, allowing Washer to reach while Latimore and Edwards scooted home.

Owings added a solo homer in the seventh off reliever Rob Klinchock to give the Rockers a 7-2 lead.

The Flying Boxcars tallied an unearned run in the seventh on an error, a single, an infield groundout and a wild pitch by Rockers reliever Braeden Ogle.

Jonah Scolaro (W, 3-1) went five innings and allowed seven hits while walking two and striking out six.

Game two of the series is scheduled for a 6 o’clock start Saturday at Meritus Park.

NOTES: D.J. Burt left the game with an injury in the fifth inning after he was upended by a sliding base runner at second base while turning a 5-4-3 double play… Reliever Zach Vennaro had one pitch recorded at 100 MPH during his stint in the eighth inning . . . The Rockers signed former Lenoir-Rhyne infielder Mason Maxwell prior to the game and activated OF Martin Figueroa… INF Colin Moran was placed on the seven day Injured List.