Rockers score early and often vs. Ducks

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. – The High Point Rockers scored runs in each of the first four innings, building a 7-2 lead, and posted a 7-3 win over Long Island on Friday night at Fairfield Properties Ballpark.

The Rockers enter the final two games of the regular season holding a one-game lead over Gastonia in the South Division race though, with both teams having already clinched playoff spots, both teams are playing for more than just a division title. The Rockers are 36-23 while Gastonia is 36-25. The two teams will meet in the Atlantic League’s South Division Championship series which begins Tuesday at Gastonia.

High Point starter Jheyson Manzueta (W, 7-2) went six innings and while he allowed nine hits, he yielded just two runs while walking one and striking out four. Long Island’s Joe Iorio (L, 5-9) tossed five innings, allowing seven hits and five runs.

The Rockers plated a pair of runs in the first as Michael Martinez singled and Ben Aklinski drew a walk. Daikan Yoh singled to right to score Martinez with Aklinski moving to second. Beau Taylor sent a single to center that scored Aklinski and the Rockers had a 2-0 lead.

Long Island’s Sam Travis had an RBI single in the bottom of the first as the Ducks made it a 2-1 game.

The Rockers then scored five unanswered runs over the next five innings. In the second, Brian Parreira singled, moved to second on a single by Shed Long, Jr. and scored on a ground out by Martinez. Daikan Yoh hit a solo homer in the third, his 10th of the year, to put the Rockers in front 4-1. Zander Wiel drew a bases-loaded walk in the fourth to extend the lead to 5-1 before the Rockers added two more runs in the sixth. Martinez reached on a fielding error and Aklinski walked. Wiel singled home Martinez and Yoh’s single brought Aklinski home.

Long Island loaded the bases off Manzueta in the sixth and scored on a Jonathan Guzman ground out to close the deficit to 7-2.

Sam Selman and Taylor Guerrieri each threw a scoreless inning in relief while Kyle Halbohn allowed a run in the ninth to account for the 7-3 final.

Game two of the three-game series is scheduled for a 6:35 first pitch on Saturday. The game will be streamed live on FLO Baseball and also available on the Mixlr app.

NOTES: High Point’s 77 wins this season are a franchise record as is its 36 road wins… With Lancaster’s win over Long Island on Friday, the Barnstormers clinched the North Division second half title and finalized the 2023 playoff pairings. Long Island will open the North Division Championship series at Lancaster on Tuesday while High Point will visit Gastonia for Game 1 of the South Division Championship series.