Aklinski powers Rockers to 6th straight win

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point Rockers sixth straight win resulted in a 5-1 victory over York on Sunday afternoon at Truist Point, giving the Rockers consecutive series sweeps.

The Rockers took all three games from York on the heels of sweeping a three-game series at Lexington earlier in the week.

On Sunday, it was right fielder Ben Aklinski who continued swinging a hot bat, driving in four runs with a sac fly, a solo homer and a two-run single. Aklinski hit .364 (4-for-11) during the three-games with York, driving in eight runs.

Craig Stem (W, 2-1) went five innings and allowed five hits and one unearned run while walking one and striking out seven. The win was the 15th of Stem’s career as a Rocker, pushing him one game ahead of Bryce Hensley for the most career wins in Rockers history. Bryce Hensley threw two innings without allowing a hit, Jameson McGrane threw a shutout frame in the eighth and Ryan Dull tossed the ninth with one walk and one strikeout.

The Revolution took a 1-0 lead in the second when Trey Martin reached on a fielding error by third baseman Daikan Yoh. Richard Urena followed with a double and Martin scored on an infield groundout by Jhon Nunez.

The Rockers tied the game in the fourth when D.J. Burt tripled and scored on a sac fly from Aklinski. High Point took its first lead in the fifth when Emmanuel Tapia doubled with two outs and was replaced at second base by designated pinch-runner Joe Johnson. After a walk to Ryan Grotjohn, Shed Long, Jr. punched a single to plate Johnson and put High Point ahead 2-1.

Aklinski’s solo homer in the sixth, his 17th of the year, gave High Point a 3-1 lead. He added two more RBI in the seventh when Tapia was hit by a pitch and Grotjohn and Burt each drew a walk to load the bases. Aklinski’s single left-center brought home both runs and round out the 5-1 final.

York’s Tom Sutera (L, 7-6) tossed five innings and allowed just three hits and two walks while striking out six.

“That was a helluva series,” said Rockers manager Jamie Keefe.  “Stem threw a lot of pitches, probably the most he’s thrown in two years, but he had enough to give us our chances. Tapia had a big hit and we got some guys in scoring position because we didn’t have many early in the game.

“It’s fun right now,” said Keefe of the Rockers current six-game winning streak.  “The guys are exhausted but they don’t want to take tomorrow off even though it’s an off-day. They want to keep playing but at the end of the day, we just keep rolling.”

With the win, High Point maintains the Atlantic League’s best overall record at 65-34, a club-record 31 games over .500. The Rockers keep a two-game lead over Gastonia with High Point 24-12 in the second half and the Honey Hunters are 22-14.

Following a day off on Monday, the Rockers will be at home for three games with the Lexington Counter Clocks. Tuesday’s game is slated for a 6:35 p.m. first pitch.

NOTES: High Point centerfielder D.J. Burt led off the fourth inning with a triple to mark his 54th consecutive game reaching base. He also drew a seventh inning walk… The six-game winning streak is High Point’s second-longest of the year behind an eight-game winning streak May 2-8… The Rockers hit .292 over the last six games, the best average in the Atlantic League… Their 14 homers and 44 runs scored also top all ALPB clubs for the last six games… The Rockers pitching staff has been equally as responsible, posting a league-best 2.62 ERA over the last six games with 60 strikeouts in 55 innings… The Rockers are 65-34 after 99 games, the best in club history… Their previous best was 57-42 in 2019… Aklinski’s homer marked his 100th hit of the season… He has surpassed the 100-hit mark in all three of his ALPB seasons including the 2021 campaign when he played for Lexington.