Rockets edge Northrup (06/15/05)

PORTLAND — The Portland Rockets trailed 4-0, but didn’t want to give up their newly-found state ranking.

Portland was blanked through four innings, but it came back from the deficit for a 6-5 victory over Fort Wayne Northrup at Runkle-Miller Field Tuesday. The Rockets (12-5) are ranked second in the state by the Indiana Semi-Pro Baseball web site behind Evansville’s Indiana Outlaws.

Former Rocket and current Northrup manager Kyle Daugherty kept his former mates down for the first four innings. He struck out five while allowing just three hits before Portland got the bats rolling.

Matt Gard doubled in the bottom of the fourth inning to start the Rocket rally, and Phil Bruns followed with a home run.

A bases-loaded double by Luke Jones tied the contest in the fifth, and Gard, Kyle Dygert and Jones combined to push the winning run across the plate in Portland’s final at bat.

Chad Casey earned the victory, striking out five batters in two innings of work.[[In-content Ad]]