Honkers snap out of drought with strong pitching performance
Aug. 5—The Rochester Honkers' pitching staff got back on the right track Friday night, and it helped the team win for just the second time in seven games.
The Honkers had lost four out of five games to end July, then dropped their first game in August by a score of 14-8 on Thursday night, to fall out of playoff contention. Rochester had allowed 58 total runs in that 1-5 stretch.
So, Friday night's 4-1 win against the Waterloo Bucks at Mayo Field allowed the team a sigh of relief.
The Honkers rode an oustanding start by Daniel Willie, and got just enough offense in the late innings, to top Waterloo.
Willie, an All-Star for the Honkers, improved to 5-1 this season and lowered his ERA to 2.56 by nearly throwing a complete game. He went 8 2/3 innings, allowed one run on just four hits, walked three batters and struck out five to earn the win.
Waterloo scored its run in the top of the fourth, when Elliot Good doubled with one out, then scored two batters later on an infield groundout.
The score remained 1-0 until the Honkers scored single runs in the sixth and seventh, then added two in the eighth.
Rochester tied the score in the sixth when Petey Craska was hit by a pitch with two outs and the bases loaded. The Honkers' winning run came in the seventh, again with two outs and the bases loaded, when Mattie Thomas scored on a wild pitch.
The Honkers added two more in the eighth. Craska scored when Thomas walked with the bases loaded, then Andy Miller drove in Ian Daugherty with a sacrifice fly.
In the top of the ninth, Willie exited with two outs after walking Waterloo's Michael Lippe. Corbin Barker entered and struck out the only batter he faced, JT Anderosky, to end the game.
Rochester's four-game home stand concludes with games against Duluth at 6:35 p.m. Saturday and 5:05 p.m. Sunday. The Honkers' final home game of the season is set for 6:35 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11, against La Crosse.
BOX SCORE: Honkers 4, Waterloo 1
