The Rochester Honkers went into the weekend without a victory in the opening week of the Northwoods League college baseball season.
They came out of the weekend with two victories and some positive momentum.
Rochester defeated La Crosse 9-6 on Saturday at La Crosse, and did so again on Sunday afternoon, topping the Loggers 9-3 at Mayo Field.
Most of the scoring Saturday came in the early innings, as the Honkers built a 6-5 lead after three innings of play, then held off the Loggers the rest of the way. Rochester's Miles Lewis scored the game-winning run in the top of the fourth inning when he scored with two outs on a wild pitch.
Brett Harrison hit a two-run double in the third inning for the Honkers, while Bryce Marquardt and Lucas Lorenz had two hits each.
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Jesse Ellefson pitched 2 2/3 innings of relief to earn the victory. He allowed one run on one hit with a walk and two strikeouts in relief of starter David Worrell, who allowed five runs over the first four innings. Houston Glad was perfect over the final 2 1/3 innings to record the save.
On Sunday, the Honkers didn't allow the Loggers to keep it so close.
Rochester led 3-2 after one inning, then pulled away in the middle innings, scoring a total of six runs over the fourth, fifth and six frames. Joey Czarske had the big blow, a three-run home run in the bottom of the fifth that extended Rochester's lead to 7-2.
Eight of the nine batters in Rochester's lineup had at least one hit, as the Honkers finished with 12 in the game. Alex Fitchett led the way, going 3-for-4, with two runs scored, two RBIs and a home run. Czarske finished 2-for-3 with two runs and three RBIs, while Myles Lewis was 2-for-5 with two runs scored.
Rochester plays host to Waterloo at 7:05 p.m. today.
Honkers 9, Loggers 6
(Saturday)
Rochester#303#100#020#—#9#10#1
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La Crosse#122#000#100#—#6#4#3
Rochester: Bryce Marquardt 2-for-5, 2 R; Myles Lewis 1-for-3, 3 R, 1 RBI; Brett Harrison 1-for-5, 1 2B, 1 R, 2 RBI; Lucas Lorenz 2-for-4, 1 2B. Pitchers: David Worrell 4 IP, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 H, 5 BB, 2 K; Jesse Ellefson (WP) 2 2/3 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K; Houston Glad (Sv) 2 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K.
La Crosse: Casey Danley 1-for-3, 2 RBI; David Jacob 1-for-4, 2 RBI. Pitchers: Jared Liebelt (LP) 4 IP, 7 R, 6 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 9 K; Nick Raquet 4 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 9 K; Chris Boettcher 1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K.
Honkers 9, Loggers 3
(Sunday)
La Crosse#200#000#100#—#3#9#1
Rochester#300#132#00x#—#9#12#0
La Crosse: Ramon Padilla 2-for-4. Pitchers: Connor Wollersheim (LP) 1 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 3 K; Graham Spraker 4 2/3 IP, 6 R, 6 ER, 7 H, 3 BB, 6 K; Chris Boettcher 2 1/3, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K.
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Rochester: Alex Fitchett 3-for-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI; Joey Czarske 2-for-3, HR, 2 R, 3 RBIs; Myles Lewis 2-for-5, 2 R. Pitchers: Clayton McGinness (WP) 6 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 6 K; Bayley Chesterton 1 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K; Robert Paccione 1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 1 K; Tanner Schumacher 1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K.
