Rockers Homer Their Way Past Dirty Birds

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The High Point Rockers overcame a 3-0 deficit with seven runs, all with two outs, in the third inning and went on to defeat the Charleston Dirty Birds 8-4 on Tuesday night at Appalachian Power Park. The win was High Point’s third consecutive and the Rockers have won four of their last five games.

With one out in the third, Giovanny Alfonzo and Michael Russell drew walks from Charleston starter Kit Scheetz (L, 5-1). Ben Aklinski struck out for the second out of the inning. Scheetz then hit Jerry Downs with a pitch to load the bases. Zander Wiel drew an RBI walk before Quincy Latimore cleared the bases with a three-run double. Logan Morrison became the second Rocker to be hit by a pitch in the inning and then newcomer Roldani Baldwin, in his second at-bat as a Rocker, blasted a three-run homer.

The Rockers added a run in the seventh when Wiel drilled a ground-rule double to center field then scored on a Latimore single.

Starter Liam O’Sullivan (W, 2-4) went five innings for the Rockers and allowed eight hits and four runs while walking two and striking out six. The Rockers got to Scheetz, the Charleston starter, for seven runs on just two hits and four walks in his three innings of work.

Junior Rincon held the Dirty Birds scoreless in the sixth and seventh inning, allowing one hit and striking out two. Gabriel Castellanos pitched the eighth and ninth, striking out two and allowing a single hit.

Latimore finished the night with two hits and four RBI while Baldwin had three runs batted in.

The Rockers are now 15-22 in the second half and 54-49 on the season.

The Rockers will meet Charleston again on Wednesday night at 6:35 p.m. at Appalachian Power Park in the middle game of the three-game series.