High Point 5, Lexington 0 (Game 1)
High Point 3, Lexington 1 (Game 2)
HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point Rockers swept a doubleheader from the Lexington Legends on Sunday afternoon in front of 2,034 fans at Truist Point, winning by scores of 5-0 and 3-1.
In the opener, Rockers starter Kent Emanuel (W, 1-0) went six innings and yielded just four hits while striking out two in earning his first win of the season. Center fielder Cody Wilson gave the Rockers all the runs they would need with a lead-off homer. High Point added two more runs in the first when Luis Gonzalez singled, move to third on an errant pickoff throw from Lexington starter Colton Eastman (L, 1-1), and scored on a wild pitch. Luke Napleton followed with a single and scored on a base hit by D.J. Burt.
High Point added a run in the third on a double by Ben Aklinski and an RBI single from Napleton. The hit was the 500th of Aklinski’s career in the Atlantic League including his four seasons with the Rockers and the 2021 campaign with Lexington.
The Rockers final run came in the fifth when Aidan Brewer walked, moved to second on a Lexington error and scored on Aklinski’s sac fly.
Emanuel didn’t allow a baserunner to reach second base until the Legends loaded the bases in the fifth on a double, a single and a walk. But he was able to strike out Andy Atwood and got out of the inning on a tremendous defensive play by Drew Mendoza at third base.
High Point overcame a 1-0 deficit in the nightcap after Lexington’s Brian Fuentes homered in the first off Rockers starter Brandon Backman. The Rockers scored all three of their runs in the third off Lexington starter Tanner Tully (L, 0-2). Catcher Nolan Watson hit his first homer as a Rocker to start the frame before Aidan Brewer beat out a bunt hit. Wilson singled as did Aklinski to load the bases. Evan Edwards then delivered a two-run single to put the Rockers ahead for good at 3-1.
Backman went 3.2 innings before giving way to Matt Frisbee (W, 1-0) who allowed just one hit in his 1.1 innings of work. Tommy Doyle (S, 2) worked the final two innings, allowing a single hit with one strikeout.
The Rockers are now 7-2 and sit on top of the Atlantic League’s South Division by a full game over 6-3 Lexington.
The Rockers will enjoy an off day on Monday then return to action at 11:05 am on Tuesday against Gastonia.
Charleston 4, Southern Maryland 2 (Game 1)
The Charleston Dirty Birds overcame a slow start and multiple rain delays securing a 4-2 victory over the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs on a game that started on Saturday, May 3rd and ended on the evening of Sunday, May 4th. The win was powered by timely hitting and solid pitching, marking the team’s resilience in a weather-affected game.
Game Highlights: · Early Action: Both teams plated a run in the first inning, setting the stage for a closely contested matchup. Southern Maryland’s John Taylor, despite going hitless, scored twice and leveraged his plate discipline to draw two walks.
- Pitching Duels: Both teams’ bullpens were tested due to delays, but Charleston’s relief corps, led by winning pitcher Keyvius Sampson, outperformed Southern Maryland. Sampson threw three innings of one-run ball, while Eddy Demurias earned the save with a clean ninth inning.
- Key Hits: Charleston’s third baseman, James Nelson, broke the game open in the seventh with a two-run homer off reliever Joey Hennessey, followed by Bobby Bradley’s solo shot. Bradley also added a clutch RBI single earlier in the game, contributing significantly to the Dirty Birds’ offense.
- Defensive Excellence: Charleston turned a crucial double play to escape a late-inning jam, showcasing strong infield coordination between Benjamin Blackwell, Joseph Rosa, and Bobby Bradley. Rain Delays: The game experienced three separate rain delays, including a lengthy pause of over an hour and a reschedule to Sunday afternoon.
Southern Maryland 7, Charleston 2 (Game 2)
The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs came out swinging, scoring all seven of their runs in the first two innings to cruise to a 7-2 victory over the Charleston Dirty Birds. The Blue Crabs’ offense was highlighted by three home runs, while their pitching staff silenced the Dirty Birds’ bats after an early flurry.
Game Highlights: · Early Explosion: Southern Maryland took command with a four-run first inning and added three more in the second. Jackson Loftin, John Taylor, and Alejandro De Aza each homered, with De Aza’s three-run blast in the second inning putting the game out of reach.
- Pitching Mastery: Blue Crabs starter Maceo Campbell rebounded from a tough previous outing to strike out nine over four innings, allowing just two runs, including a homer to Charleston’s Jared Nelson. The bullpen trio of Jalen Miller and Brandon McCabe followed with three shutout innings.
- Charleston Struggles: Dirty Birds starter Samuel Reyes was tagged for four runs in his lone inning of work, and reliever Seth Nightingale struggled in the second, walking three and allowing a pair of homers. Despite a strong four innings from Nathan Gilman in relief, Charleston’s offense couldn’t mount a comeback. Key Dirty Birds Performances: o James Nelson: 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI. o Bobby Bradley: 2-for-3, raising his average to .207. Notable
Stats: · Southern Maryland pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts, with Campbell leading the charge. · Charleston’s offense was held to just four hits, with their only runs coming from Nelson’s homer in the first inning.
York 4, Long Island 2
Long Island 10, York 9
(York, Pa., May 3, 2025) – The Long Island Ducks split a single admission doubleheader with the York Revolution on Sunday afternoon at WellSpan Park, dropping game one 4-2 before taking game two 10-9
The Ducks took the lead in the second inning of game one on Taylor Kohlwey’s RBI single to right field off Revolution starter Jordan Morales. William Simoneit countered with a three-run home run to left-center in the bottom of the second off Ducks starter Zach Plesac to put York in front.
JC Encarnacion’s RBI double to left in the third brought the Ducks to within a run at 3-2, but Long Island was unable to pull even, and Michael Berglund’s solo homer to right in the sixth rounded out the scoring.
Morales did not factor into the decision but pitched four innings of two-run ball, giving up four hits and a walk with one strikeout. Noah Denoyer (1-0) earned the win with one and one-third scoreless innings of relief, yielding one hit while striking out three. Plesac (1-1) took the loss, surrendering three runs on two hits and five walks in two innings with two strikeouts. Cam Robinson picked up his second save with a 1-2-3 seventh inning.
Long Island once again struck first in the second inning of game two, with Chad Pike’s RBI single to center off Revs starter Wes Scott putting the Ducks in front. A long solo homer over the Arch Nemesis by Troy Viola and an RBI single by Ronaldo Flores in the third extended the Ducks lead to 3-0.
York got on the scoreboard in the fourth courtesy of an RBI single to center by Osvaldo Tovalin off Ducks starter Juan Hillman. However, back-to-back home runs by Chad Pike and Jack Lynch combined to drive home four runs in the fifth and extend Long Island’s advantage to 7-1.
The Revolution countered with four runs of their own in the fifth, highlighted by Frankie Tostado’s RBI triple and Alerick Soularie’s RBI single, to pull back to within two. Tostado’s RBI double to left in the sixth closed the gap to 7-6. Viola widened the lead back up to four with a three-run homer to left-center in the seventh. York rallied for three in the bottom of the seventh to get within 10-9 but stranded the tying run on second to end the ballgame.
Hillman did not factor into the decision but pitched four and two-thirds innings, allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks with three strikeouts. Mark Washington (1-1) got the win after getting the final out of the fifth. Scott (0-1) took the loss, conceding five runs (four earned) on four hits and six walks in four innings with five strikeouts. Bernardo Flores picked up his first save after pitching the final two innings.
The Ducks continue their road trip on Wednesday with a single admission doubleheader against the Staten Island FerryHawks. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. at SIUH Northwell Health Community Park, with game two slated to begin approximately 30 minutes after the completion of the opener. Both games are scheduled for seven innings. Fans can follow all the action for both games live on FloBaseball. Sign up today by CLICKING HERE.
Long Island return home on Friday, May 9, to open a three-game set against the Lancaster Stormers. Game time is slated for 6:35 p.m., with the Fairfield Properties Ballpark gates opening at 5:35 (5:20 for full season ticket holders). It’s a Tap Room Friday, and Ducks staff members will be handing out coupons with a special offer to save $15 when spending $50 or more (dine-in) and one (1) free appetizer when spending $30 or more (delivery/pick-up) from The Tap Room to fans as they exit the ballpark. Tickets to the game and all Ducks games are now available and can be purchased by visiting the ballpark box office, calling (631) 940-TIXX or CLICKING HERE.
Gastonia 8, Lancaster 7
The Gastonia Ghost Peppers were down to a final strike. Two pitches later, they had the lead, and Lancaster could not respond.
Kevin Watson, Jr. drilled a 1-2 pitch for a double to dead center, and Richie Martin launched a homer to right center off Phil Diehl (0-2) to follow as Gastonia dropped the Stormers, 8-7, in stunning fashion Sunday afternoon at Penn Medicine Park.
The afternoon was loaded with home runs in the seesaw battle. Of the 17 total hits on the day, eight were homers and six others were doubles on favorable wins and humidity.
Watson led off the game with a shot onto the right field deck off starter Keylan Killgore, and Martin followed with a similar shot. One batter later, Justin Wylie crushed the third of Gastonia’s five homers with a blast to the much deeper left field.
Nick Ward answered with a homer to lead off for the Stormers, and Lancaster tied the game on a throwing error and Ward sac fly in the second, only to have Wylie leave the yard for the second time in the game in the top of the third, this time with a man aboard.
Ledarious Clark found the picnic deck in the fourth to slice the lead back to one. Again, extra base hits boosted the Gastonia lead as Wylie and Cole Roederer knocked out back-to-back two-out doubles in the fifth.
Joseph Carpenter slugged Lancaster’s third homer of the day with one out in the seventh. Nick Lucky walked, took second on a wild pitch and rode home on Andrew Semo’s long double to left as Lancaster knotted the score for the second time.
The lone lead came in the bottom of the eighth. Carpenter picked up a one-out walk and raced home on Lucky’s double to the gap in left center. Semo hit a bounder back to the box that resulted in a bizarre double play at second to end the inning.
Diehl picked up two easy outs and appeared to be on the verge of his fourth save when the disaster struck.
Nick Horvath (1-0) notched the win for the Ghost Peppers, and Nick Snyder tossed a perfect ninth for his first save.
Lancaster will host Southern Maryland on Tuesday at 6:45. Tim Brennan (0-0) will make the start for the Stormers against Crabs right-hander John Kelly (0-1). Fans may tune into the game on FloBaseball at 6:40.
NOTES: Four of the last seven games have been decided by one run with the Stormers splitting decisions…Semo has an extra base hit in all three starts…Slater Schield has reached base in all seven games…Scott Engler and Jackson Rees combined for 3 1/3 scoreless innings of relief.