Rockers win on Ferry Hawks error
May 22—HIGH POINT — Pouncing when Staten Island committed a throwing error in the bottom of the ninth, the Rockers scored two runs and escaped with a 5-4 walkoff victory Saturday night at Truist Point.
With the bases loaded and one out, Michael Martinez hit a bouncer that gave Ferry Hawks first baseman Kacy Clemens ample opportunity to cut down Jay Gonzalez at the plate on a force play. Instead, Clemens said the ball over the head of catcher John Nester and all the way to the back stop.
Martinez easily crossed the plate with the tying run and Ben Aklinski hustled home to score the winning run, completing a rally from two runs down withVictor Capellan on the mound for Staten Island in the ninth.
With the Ferry Hawks ahead 4-2, Giovanny Alfonzo led off the inning with an infield hit and Gonzalez followed with another infield hit Aklinski, who drilled a game-winning single the night before, then doubled into the left field corner and Alfonzo scored his second run of the game.
After a strikeout, Martinez hit his bouncer to first and High Point improved to 19-8 while Staten Island slipped to 5-20.
High Point trailed until the ninth. They managed one hit and failed to score in six innings against Staten Island starter Dakota Freese, who stayed out of trouble with the exception of walking the bases loaded in the fifth.
Andrew Church went the first seven innings on the mound for the Rockers. He gave up a first-inning solo homer to Clemens and A two-run shot to Brandon Wagner in the fourth.
High Point finally broke through in the seventh when Quincy Latimore lofted a bases-loaded double that scored Alfonzo and Aklinski before Xander Wiel was thrown out at the plate for the third out.
Javier Betancourt scored in the eighth for Staten Island without a hit against John Hayes. Betancourt walked, went to second on a wild pitch, third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a sacrifice fly.
Ryan Dull replaced Hayes, got the final out in eighth, retired the side in order in the ninth and got the win.
