Rocket bats explode

There was an Independence Day atmosphere in the air, with fireworks bursting beyond the left-field fence at Runkle-Miller Field. The Rockets provided plenty of explosiveness at the plate as well.
Dalton Tinsley sparked Portland with six hits and five runs from his leadoff spot in the order as the team rolled to its eighth straight victory, 20-2 over the visiting Napoleon River Bandits.
The Rockets have scored at least six runs in every game during their winning streak.
“I feel like we’re starting to gel as a team. It starts with our pitching, and our hitters are coming around and getting our offense going,” said Tinsley. “We just have to stay within ourselves, stay with our approach. The guys at the top of the order get on and let the meat of the order drive them through.”
Tinsley got Portland (12-4-1) going in a hurry when he led off the bottom of the first inning with a single to right-center field. He scored immediately on a double to left-center from Logan Hug, and Nick Hollowell made it 2-1 with an RBI single.
The Rockets went scoreless in the next two innings, but caught fire again when the fireworks began launching. They scored three times in a fourth inning that was keyed by a Tinsley RBI triple, and broke the game open when Jay County High School graduate Mitch Waters delivered a bases-loaded triple in a six-run fifth.
Portland tacked on two runs apiece in the sixth and seventh innings, and then got a home run from Hollowell as part of a five-run eighth.
Tinsley had two doubles and a triple as the Rockets racked up nine extra-base hits. Hollowell went 4-for-4 with the solo home run, a double, five RBIs and two runs.
“We’ve got a leadoff guy with some experience and some maturity and some skills that are special for his position,” said Portland manager Randy Miller of Tinsley. “And that is a key position. That guy that gets up first sets the tone.
“He’s got a very, very impressive swing,” he added of Hollowell. “It’s a beautiful thing to watch. He’s just getting into the timing of the wood-bat season. I expect continued success from him. … He’s certainly catching his stride now. He’s attacked the ball and squared up nicely.”
Waters matched Hollowell with five RBIs to go along with three hits and two runs. Austin Bridges was 3-for-5 with a triple and three runs, and Zyler Crosby came off the bench to go 2-for-3 with three runs.
While the offensive numbers jump from the box score in a 20-run performance, the Rockets also got some strong efforts on the mound.
Junior Santos caught fire, striking out the final three batters of the fourth inning and the first two of the fifth. He added a strikeout to end the fifth, finishing with six in three innings of work as he earned the win.
“It was an improvement from my last outing,” said Santos. “I established my secondary. I had that working for me. I was pounding the zone with my fastball. Pretty much my changeup and my split were working for me too.”
Dylan Brammer also struck out the side in a scoreless eighth inning, and Matt Chronister ended the game with back-to-back strikeouts in the ninth.
Napoleon (15-13) managed eight hits against the Portland pitching, but stranded 12 runners as the Rockets turned a couple of double plays.
Josh Coles led off the game with a double and scored the River Bandits’ first run in the first inning on a single to center by Tyler Torrez. Their only other run came in the seventh when Blake Kuszmaul came around after a leadoff walk.
Tanner Wyse and Coles each finished with a pair of hits.
Left-handed starter Weston Rivers suffered the loss, giving up two runs on three hits in his only inning on the hill.[[In-content Ad]]