Owings’ bombs shoot down Boxcars

HAGERSTOWN, Md. – High Point’s Connor Owings banged out four hits and drove in three runs to lead the Rockers to a 6-3 win over Hagerstown on Saturday night at Meritus Park.

Owings contributed a two-run homer in the first, doubled and scored in the fourth, doubled in the seventh and knocked an RBI double in the ninth. His three doubles tied the club record for doubles in a game, sharing the mark with Michael Russell and Tyler Ladendorf.

With two outs in the bottom of the first, Owings hit his 12th homer of the year with Ben Aklinski aboard following a single, to give the Rockers a 2-0 lead.

High Point added three runs in the fourth. Owings led off with a double and Quincy Latimore sent a grounder up the middle. Hagerstown second baseman Cito Culver fielded the ball and threw wildly to third in an attempt to cut down Owings with both runners reaching safely. Evan Edwards singled to score Owings and send Latimore to third. Brian Parreira then delivered an RBI single and Mason Maxwell hit a sac fly to right to give High Point a 5-0 lead.

Dariel  Gomez hit a solo homer to start the bottom of the fourth to make it a 5-1 game. The Boxcars closed the gap in the fifth when Culver doubled home a run and Welington Dotel followed with an RBI single to pull Hagerstown to within 5-3.

High Point starter Stephen Ridings went 4.2 innings and allowed three runs while yielding eight hits and striking out six.

Lefty Jacob Edwards (W, 5-0) kept the Boxcars scoreless through the seventh. Kyle Halbohn pitched around a single and a double in the eighth while striking out two to maintain the Rockers 5-3 lead.

The Rockers added an insurance run in the top of the ninth when Maxwell and Gilberto Jimenez drew walks before Owings doubled to right to make it a 6-3 game.

Hagerstown starter Yeudy Garcia (L, 1-1) was saddled with the loss after allowing seven runs and five hits over five innings of work.

Dakota Chalmers (S, 2) put the Boxcars down in order in the ninth to earn his second save of the season.

The Rockers improved to 6-1 in the second half of the Atlantic League season and 41-28 on the season.

The series finale is slated for a 5 o’clock start on Sunday at Meritus Park.

NOTES: Gastonia was losing at Lexington 7-1 in the seventh inning. A Gastonia loss would leave the Rockers with a two-game lead in the South Division in the race for the Atlantic League second half pennant… Gilberto Jimenez had his hitting streak snapped at six, marking his first hitless game as a Rocker… Jacob Edward is now 5-0 on the year with each of his wins coming in relief efforts.