Rockers chop up Peppers in 10 innings

GASTONIA, N.C. – The High Point Rockers overcame a 3-0 deficit to defeat the Gastonia Ghost Peppers 4-3 in 10 innings and win their 40^th game of the season on Friday afternoon at CaroMont Health Park.

The Rockers trailed 3-0 after seven innings before rallying for three runs in the eighth and adding the winning run in the top of the ninth. Kyle Halbohn held the Peppers scoreless in the 10^th to earn the save, his fourth of the season.

The Rockers were hitless until the fifth inning as Gastonia starter Matt Hartman retired the first 14 batters he faced before Braxton Davidson hit a two-out single with two outs in the fifth.

Cole Roderer singled home Narciso Crook off Rockers starter Jonah Scolaro in the second to put Gastonia up 1-0. Brian O’Grady added an RBI double in the third for a 2-0 advantage before Ethan Skender’s solo homer in the fourth put the Ghost Peppers up 3-0.

The Rockers tied the game with three runs in the eighth. Davidson led off the inning with a solo homer off reliever Ryan Hennen. Hennen then hit Aidan Brewer in the foot with a pitch and walked Isaiah Mirabal. Michael Logan dropped a sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position. Gastonia brought in lefty Nick Horvath and Luis Gonzalez greeted him with a first pitch single to left, scoring Brewer and cutting the deficit to one. Max Viera then lined a single to center to score Mirabal and tie the game at 3-3.

With Jameson McGrane (W, 1-0) on the mound for the Rockers in the ninth, Gastonia loaded the bases with one out but a Brewer-Viera-Davidson 6-4-3 double play sent the game into extra innings.

In the top of the tenth, the Rockers took a 4-3 lead off reliever Cory Thompson (L, 1-1) when Viera hit a sac fly to right to score Brewer who had started the inning as the ghost runner at second.

Halbohn issued one walk before retiring O’Grady on a foul out to first and a fielder’s choice from Crook. Ian Yetsko made a diving grab of Cole Roederer’s line drive in right to extinguish Gastonia’s final hope.

The Rockers improve to 40-21 on the year marking just their third 40-win half season.

Davidson had two of the Rockers four hits in the game while O’Grady collected three of Gastonia’s eight safeties.

Game two of the series is set for 7 o’clock on Saturday night at Gastonia’s CaroMont Health Park.