Gastonia stops Rockers' rally
Jul. 24—HIGH POINT — Gastonia shut down the Rockers offense for most of the game, withstood a late rally and escaped with a 5-3 victory Saturday night at Truist Point.
After the Rockers (42-40, 3-13 second half) mustered one run and two hits in the first half, four Honey Hunters pitchers held High Point to just one hit and four baserunners over the next seven innings, all scoreless, against. The Rockers managed two runs in the ninth but came up short on three chances with the tying run at the plate.
In one stretch after giving up a lead-off single in the third, Gastonia pitchers (58-23, 14-2) retired 14 Rockers in a row, a streak that ended with a walk that led off the eighth.
Gastonia starter and winner Mason McCallister, Randall Delgado, Chad Sobotka and Quintin Torres-Costa combined on the shutout innings.
The Honey Hunters broke a 1-1 tie in the sixth after reliever Junior Rincon replaced starter Ivan Pineyro on the mound. Reece Hampton led off the inning with a double to right. He advanced on a flyout and then scored on Joseph Rosa's sacrifice to center.
Gastonia tacked on three in the eighth against Kyle Mott. Hampton, who scored the Honey Hunters first three runs, walked and scored on Jack Reinheimer's double to center. Joseph Rosa then clouted a two-run homer to right that proved to be the winning hit.
The Rockers put their first two batters aboard in the eighth when Dakota Mulcay walked and Giovanny Alfonzo was hit by a pitch. The rally died when the next three batters flied out.
In the ninth, Jerry Downs punched a lead-off single and Quincy Latimore doubled down the left-field line. WIth Tyler Ladendorf at bat, Downs scored on a wild pitch that bounced in front of the plate and sailed to the backstop. Ladendorf then lifted a liner to center field and scored Latimore.
That was the high point of the rally against Sam Bordner. Jay Gonzalez and pinch-hitter Cesar Trejo struck out. Giovanny Alfonzo hit a liner to center that looked like it may fall in for a single but Jake Skole made a sliding catch that ended the game.
In the first, Zander Wiel walked and scored when Latimore singled to left.
Gastonia made it 1-1 in the fourth. Hampton reached on a grounder into the hole at shortstop. He stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored when Zach Jarrett doubled.
The teams finish a three-game series Sunday at 4:05 p.m.
