Grand slams sink Rockers

Lexington, Ky. – The High Point Rockers battled back from a 3-0 deficit to tie the game at 3-3 in the sixth inning, but the Lexington Legends blasted grand slams in both the sixth and seventh innings and went on to post a 15-6 win over the Rockers on Sunday afternoon at CommonSpirit Ballpark.

The Rockers end the week at 11-10 in the second half and 40-44 on the season. Lexington improved to 13-8 and 39-45. The Rockers are two games out of first behind Lexington and Southern Maryland (12-9).

The Legends built a 3-0 lead with all three runs coming in the third inning off High Point starter Brandon Scott. Xane Washington reached on a lead-off double before Scott walked Curtis Terry and Tres Gonzalez to load the bases. Dylan Rock plated one run on a fielder’s choice and Damiani Palmegiani and Eric Rataczak each delivered soft singles that scored two more runs.

High Point scored twice in the fifth to cut the deficit to 3-2. With one out, three straight Rockers produced doubles starting with Nolan Watson. Ryan McCarthy doubled to score Watson and Luke Napleton’s double doubled home another run.

The Rockers tied the game in the sixth as Ty Hubbard led off with a single to right, moved to second on a balk by Lexington reliever Raudy Rivera and scored on Chase Nixon’s RBI single to right.

Reliever Brayden Matthews came on in the sixth and allowed a double and a pair of walks before former Rocker Patrick Sanchez hit his second grand slam of the week to put the Legends in front 7-3. Lexington added six more runs in the seventh including another grand slam from Xane Washington.

High Point tallied three runs in the eighth on an RBI double from Nolan Watson and a two-run double by Ryan McCarthy.

Lexington finished its scored with a two-run homer from Dylan Rock in the bottom of the eighth.

McCarthy finished the day with four hits and three RBI including three doubles. D.J. Burt and Nolan Watson each added a pair of hits among High Point’s 12 total hits. High Point pitchers issued eight walks in the game with five of them scoring. Two Legends runs also scored after being hit by a pitch.

The Rockers will enjoy an off-day on Monday before opening a six-game home stand with the Charleston Dirty Birds on Tuesday, July 28 at Truist Point. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Rocker fans can follow the action live on DugoutTV.org or the audio broadcast on the free app MixLR.

NOTES: The Rockers signed LHP Brandon Scott just prior to Sunday’s game . . . Scott was a teammate of Aidan Brewer’s at Hillsdale College in Michigan and had pitched in the American Association and Frontier League over the last two years.