Rockers hit into 5 double plays in loss to Ducks

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Long Island lefty Robert Stock held High Point to just one run over eight innings of work while the Ducks’ defense turned five double plays in a 7-1 win over the Rockers in front of a crowd of 2,309 on Friday night at Truist Point.

Stock allowed the Rockers just two hits through the first five innings while relying on his infield defense to turn a double play in each of the first four innings. In the first inning, Stock allowed a lead-off single to D.J. Burt but Quincy Latimore grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. In the second, Beau Taylor started the inning with a walk but was erased on another 6-4-3 twin killing. Brian Parreira was hit by a pitch to start the third but eliminated on a 6-3 double play. Shed Long, Jr. singled to start the fourth but a 4-6-3 double play ball from Ben Aklinski cut the inning short. The fifth double play came in the ninth inning when Zander Wiel lined out sharply to Carlos Castro at first who stepped on the bag to double off Taylor.

Long Island’s Ruben Tejada hit a solo homer off High Point starter Justin Nicolino in the first and the Ducks were never headed. Long Island added a run in the third when Boog Powell singled and scored on a double in the right-center gap by Lew Ford. It marked the 500th career Atlantic League RBI for the 46-year-old Ford.

A two-run homer from Castro in the fourth gave Long Island a 4-0 advantage and then a two-run triple by Wilson Ramos in the sixth helped the Ducks to a 7-0 lead.

The Rockers got on the board in the eighth when Parreira singled with one out. He moved to second on a single by Burt and scored on a Long, Jr. single that cut the margin to 7-1.

Nicolino (L, 4-1) went seven innings and yielded 11 hits without allowing a walk and striking out one. Bryce Hensley and Joe Johnson each threw a scoreless inning in relief of Nicolino. Stock (W, 7-2) completed eight innings and scattered seven hits with two walks and a strikeout.

Long, Jr. led the Rockers with three hits while Burt added a pair of safeties.

The five double plays hit into by High Point set a Rockers record, eclipsing the former mark of four set vs. the Sugar Land Skeeters in 2019.

The Rockers are now 14-9 in the second half and 55-31 overall.

Game two of the three-game series is slated for a 6:35 p.m. start on Saturday at Truist Point. The game will be streamed live on FLO Baseball and also available on the Mixlr app. It will be Margaritaville Night at Truist Point with the Rockers wearing specialty jerseys that will then be auctioned off with the proceeds going to benefit Hospice of the Piedmont.