(GREEN BAY ROCKERS) ASHWAUBENON – After trailing by as much as four, Green Bay rallied with a seven-spot in the 7th inning to beat Royal Oak 10-7.
For just the third time this half, the Rockers kept their opponent scoreless in the first frame, which led to an early lead for Green Bay after Ben Fishel (Columbia) drove in a run in the second with a single.
Royal Oak knotted up the game in the 4th, when Fernando Palencia (Texas Tech) walked in a run with the bases loaded. Palencia’s day finished at 4.1 IP, allowing 3 runs on 3 hits and fanning seven Leprechauns.
A three-spot in the fifth gave Royal Oak the lead, after a pair of sacrifice flies from Mason Barth (Notre Dame) and Michael Zelinski (Wright State) and a single via Connor Larkin (Oklahoma) gave the Leprechauns a 4-1 lead.
The game stayed relatively uncompetitive until the bottom of the 7th, where everything broke loose for Royal Oak. The Rockers, who trailed 6-2 to begin the 7th, began with two base knocks, and then proceeded to draw five straight walks, including three off of Royal Oak’s All-Star reliever Kellen English (Clemson). The inning wrapped with seven runs on three hits, and the Rockers retaking the lead at 9-6.
A fielder’s choice from David Ballenilla (SIU-Edwardsville) in the 8th made it 10-6, adding extra insurance for the Rockers. Jayden Martin (Georgia State) shut down the Leprechauns at the end, tossing two innings of one-run baseball and striking out three. The Rockers now advance to 12-11 in the second half after a much-needed win with the Great Lakes West playoff picture taking shape.
Tomorrow, the Rockers host the Leprechauns for the series finale, with first pitch at 1:05 pm.
The Rockers continue a four game homestand on Saturday, July 25, hosting the Royal Oak Leprechauns! First pitch is slated for 1:05 pm, with gates opening one hour prior at 12:05 pm
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