Rockers Win 8th Straight, Beat ‘Hawks 4-1

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point Rockers scored four times in the top of the ninth inning to post a come-from-behind 4-1 win over the Staten Island FerryHawks Saturday night at Staten Island University Hospital Community Park.  It marked the fourth straight game against the FerryHawks that the Rockers have rallied and taken the lead in their final at-bat.

The Rockers swept a three-game series from Staten Island on May 20-22, winning all three games in their final at-bat.

The Rockers have now won eight straight games, their longest-winning streak of the season, and improve 23-8. This is High Point’s best-ever 31-game start to the season since a 19-12 open to the inaugural 2019 campaign.

Staten Island starter Dakota Freese stymied the Rockers through seven innings, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out eight. In the meantime, Staten Island’s offense was struggling against High Point starter Jheyson Manzueta (2-1) as the game remained scoreless until the bottom of the sixth. That’s when the ‘Hawks used back-to-back doubles by Brandon Wagner and Angel Aguilar to bring Wagner across the plate with the first run of the game.

Victor Capellan set the Rockers down in order in the eighth and the teams went to the ninth inning with High Point trailing 1-0. The ‘Hawks brought in lefty Chris Nunn (0-2) to start the inning and with one out, Jerry Downs reached first on a fielding error by Staten Island left fielder Joseph Monge. Downs was replaced by pinch-runner Michael Russell who scored High Point’s first run when Quincy Latimore doubled down the left field line. With Latimore on second, Logan Morrison drew a walk and was replaced by pinch-runner Johnny Field. Zander Wiel struck out for the second out of the inning before Michael Martinez doubled to right to score Latimore and Field. Chris Proctor’s single to left plated Martinez to complete High Point’s scoring.

Adam Choplick pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to earn his first save of the season.

Manzueta scattered five hits over his eight innings of work, walking two and striking out six.

The Rockers and FerryHawks will play a doubleheader on Sunday at 1 p.m. in order to make up Friday night’s rainout. The series will conclude on Monday with a 1 o’clock single game. The Rockers will return home on Tuesday, May 31 and start a three-game series with the Charleston Dirty Birds.