Honkers Clinch Spot in Playoffs

(Rochester, Minn.)-The Rochester Honkers topped the Duluth Huskies Saturday night 9-0. Ricky Delgado (San Joaquin Delta CC) earned the win in his first start as a Honker, allowing just four hits and no runs in seven innings pitched. Landon Smith (Montevallo) took the loss for Duluth. With the win and Mankato’s loss to Kenosha, the Honkers have clinched their first postseason berth since 2010.

Matt Fiedler (Minnesota) showed why he leads the Honkers in hitting, going 5-5 at the dish with a pair of RBIs.

Miles Mastrobuoni (College of San Mateo) got the scoring started for the Honkers in the second inning with a triple for the second straight game, bringing in Adam Walton (Illinois) and Ryan Summers (Louisville). Mastrobuoni would score on a double from Alex Schultz (Nebraska-Omaha). Fiedler would start his big night off with a single that would score Schultz and give Rochester the early 4-0 lead.

Fiedler would single again in the third to bring Summers in, and Walton would knock his first home run of the season out of the park in the fourth, and bring Scott Schreiber (Nebraska) in with him for a 7-0 lead.

Schreiber would follow suit with a two-run shot of his own in the eighth that brought pinch-hitter Jayson Yano (Stevens Institute) for a pair of insurance runs and a 9-0 lead that would stand as Ryan Dorney (St. Martin’s University) would through two perfect innings in relief of Delgado to seal the win.

The Honkers now sit at 37-28 and have tied 2014 win total with seven games remaining on the schedule. Duluth, St. Cloud, and Willmar have all also clinched playoff berths, though seeding may shift during the final week of games.

The Honkers and Huskies face off again Sunday, at 1:05 p.m. It will be the second Bobblehead Giveaway of the season, a Perkins Kids Club day, and Bob's Corn Sunday on the Sports Deck.