Leibrandt sparkles in 7-2 win over Lexington

LEXINGTON, Ky. – High Point lefty Brandon Leibrandt threw seven innings of three-hit baseball and the Rockers tied a season-high with five home runs as they completed a sweep of Lexington with a 7-2 win Thursday night at Counter Clocks Field.

Leibrandt (W, 2-2) scattered three hits while walking one and striking out six. He left after seven innings with the Rockers holding a 7-2 lead. The Rockers’ bullpen was outstanding, with Cam Bedrosian in the eighth and Bryce Hensley in the ninth, each striking out the side.

The Rockers are 62-34 on the season and have reached 28 games over .500 for the first time in franchise history. High Point is 21-12 in the second half and the Rockers hold a one game lead over 20-13 Gastonia.

Brian Parreira staked the Rockers to a 1-0 lead with a solo homer in the second inning. It was Parreira’s fourth homer in the last five games. Lexington catcher Logan Brown tied the game with a solo shot in the bottom of the second.

A solo shot from Shed Long, Jr. in the third put the Rockers up 2-1 and Joe Johnson hit his second homer of the year in the fifth to give High Point a 3-1 lead. A fourth solo homer, this one from Zander Wiel, his 23rd of the year, put the Rockers on top 4-1 in the sixth.

Lexington tallied one run off Leibrandt in the bottom of the sixth when Brandt Broussard tripled and scored on a ground out by Zach Watson to make it 4-2.

Lexington starter Mike Kickham (L, 1-6) exited after six innings, allowing six hits and four home runs. Joe Dougherty came in from the bullpen and went two-thirds of an inning, allowing two hits and two runs.

High Point’s lead grew to 7-2 in the seventh when Johnson legged out an infield chopper. Long, Jr. singled to center to move Johnson to third and D.J. Burt’s grounder to third brought Johnson home. The Counter Clocks summoned Raymells Rosa from the bullpen and Ben Aklinski sent his first pitch out of the park, scoring Long, Jr. ahead of him, for a five-run lead.

Johnson finished the night with two hits while Long reached safely three times. Lexington was led by Brown with two hits.

The Rockers will return home and begin a six-game homestand on Friday night against the York Revolution. Game is set for 6:35 p.m. and the game will be live streamed on FLO Baseball and also available on the Mixlr app. It will be “Pink at the Point” with the Rockers wearing specialty jerseys that will be auctioned off following the game. There will be a fireworks show following the game as well.

NOTES: D.J. Burt singled in the fifth inning to extend his streak to 51 consecutive games in reaching base… It is believed to be an Atlantic League record, just ahead of a 50 game streak by Carlos Franco of York in 2022… Joe Johnson’s fifth inning homer traveled 419 feet… Parreira’s homer went 403 feet, Wiel’s was 390 feet, and Long, Jr.’s homer was measured at 375 feet as was Aklinski’s.