Honkers Drop Quick One To Waterloo

The Rochester Honkers returned to Mayo Field Saturday night after an Independence Day road trip to Waterloo. Matt Kent pitched well enough to lower his 2.36 earned run average, but could not pick up a win, the Honkers losing 2-1.

There was not much offense to talk about Saturday night, as the starters for both clubs went through the lineups pretty quickly. The teams combined for eight hits in the 2 hour and 2 minute ballgame.

Waterloo got on the board first, with a second inning home run off the bat of David Kerian (Illinois). Mikal Hill (Charlotte) got his second homer against the Honkers in the third inning to make it 2-0.

Those two runs would be all the runs Rochester starter Matt Kent would allow. Kent (Texas A&M) threw eight innings of two-run ball, allowing five hits and striking out a dozen Waterloo batters without giving up a walk.

The Honkers got their first hit of the game in the fourth, a single by Connor Schaefbauer (Minnesota). A batter later, he became the first run for Rochester on an RBI double by Alex Schultz (Nebraska Omaha). John Schuknecht reached on a walk and it was first and third with two out, but Schuknecht was caught stealing four pitches later to end the Rochester threat.

Landon Simpson pitched eight innings as well and gave up one run on three hits, striking out five and walking two. Simpson (Arkansas) improved to 2-0 on the season, while Kent got the loss to move to 1-3. Adam Dian (South Dakota State) struck out the Honkers in order in the ninth to pick up his 11th save of the season.

The Honkers play again at Mayo Field Sunday afternoon to face the St. Cloud Rox. Logan Spitzack (St. Cloud State) will take to the mound for Rochester for a 1:05 p.m. start.