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H. Houston earns honorable mention all-TRC tennis honors
BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
Baseball
Rochester 14, Twin Lakes 13 (May 22)
Rochester 4, Tippecanoe Valley 0 (May 22)
Kyle Reinartz and Grant McCarter homered, and Quin Stesiak went 4 for 4 with a single and three doubles and an RBI for the Zebras in a come-from-behind 14-13 win over Twin Lakes at the Twin Lakes Classic on May 22.
The Zebras trailed 6-1 after two innings.
Reinartz also doubled and singled and had three RBIs. Brayden Zink had two hits and three RBIs. Tarick McGlothin had three hits and scored twice.
McCarter had two RBIs, and Brock Beehler had two hits and an RBI. Blake Hughes had a hit and an RBI. Evan Elliott had a double.
Zink got the win in relief of Reinartz, who pitched the first two innings. Zink allowed five hits and six runs in 3 ⅓ innings. He walked three and struck out three. McGlothin got the final five outs while allowing three hits and a run.
Rochester led 14-7 going into the bottom of the sixth but held on.
The Zebras completed their day with a 4-0 win over Tippecanoe Valley behind Brock Beehler’s five-hit shutout. Beehler walked none and struck out three. Of his 77 pitches, 57 were strikes.
The teams combined for 15 hits, all singles. McGlothin went 3 for 3 with an RBI, and Beehler, McCarter and Stesiak had two hits each. Elliott, Stesiak and Kane Lutz each had an RBI.
Marcus Bernicky took the loss for Valley after allowing one run over three innings. He allowed three hits and walked one while striking out three. Damion Kohler allowed seven hits and three earned runs in three innings of relief. He walked one and struck out none.
Payton Mills, Owen Kirchenstien, Noah Prater, Braxton Davis and Kohler each had a hit.
Rochester also beat Valley 3-2 in their Three Rivers Conference meeting on May 3.
Twin Lakes Classic, Game 1: Rochester 14, Twin Lakes 13
Rochester 102 344 0 – 14 17 1
Twin Lakes 331 005 1 – 13 14 6
WP – Brayden Zink (3 ⅓ IP, 5 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 3 K)
LP – Arthur (5 IP, 13 H, 10 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 3 K)
2B – Kyle Reinartz (RHS), Evan Elliott (RHS), Quin Stesiak 3 (RHS), Brock Beehler (RHS)
3B – Reece (TL)
HR – Kyle Reinartz (RHS), Grant McCarter (RHS)
Twin Lakes Classic, Game 2: Rochester 4, Tippecanoe Valley 0
Valley 000 000 0 – 0 5 2
Rochester 001 300 X – 4 10 1
WP – Brock Beehler (7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K)
LP – Marcus Bernicky (3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K)
XBH – (none)
Rochester 10, Maconaquah 2 (May 19): Quin Stesiak hit a solo homer and walked twice, and Brock Beehler singled and drove in two runs at the plate and also pitched six innings for the win on the mound for the Zebras in a TRC road win over Maconaquah May 19.
Grant McCarter also had a single and two RBIs. Kyle Reinartz pitched a scoreless seventh with three strikeouts to finish the game and also had a hit and an RBI at the plate. Kane Lutz and Brayden Zink each had a hit and an RBI.
Tarick McGlothin, Ethan Medina and Evan Elliott also had singles.
Maconaquah pitchers walked eight and also hit five batters. Rochester also had six stolen bases.
J.P. Thomlison hit a two-run homer off Beehler in the bottom of the sixth for Maconaquah’s only runs.
Beehler allowed five hits and two runs in six innings. He walked one and struck out two.
“Both of them were great,” Rochester coach Cory Good said of Beehler and Reinartz. “Brock pitched a very efficient game. I think he had 27 pitches after three innings. And then we pulled him at 67 pitches through six. So he pitched really well – pitched to contact, kept the ball down. And then Kyle went and came in and closed them down. It looked like he had a little extra zip on the ball tonight, and his curve ball was really working for him.”
Rochester 10, Maconaquah 2
Rochester 201 103 3 – 10 9 1
Maconaquah 000 002 0 – 2 6 1
WP – Brock Beehler (6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K)
LP – Thomlison (5 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 5 BB, 4 HBP, 5 K)
2B – Armstrong (MAC)
HR – Quin Stesiak (RHS), Thomlison (MAC)
Rochester 14, Bremen 4 (6 innings, May 20): Quin Stesiak had a single and a homer and two RBIs, and Tarick McGlothin had three hits and two RBIs for the host Zebras in a senior night win over Bremen at Bob Copeland Field May 20.
Kane Lutz had two doubles and three RBIs, and Brock Beehler had two hits and an RBI. Evan Elliott added a double and two RBIs, and Ethan Medina had a single and two RBIs. Kyle Reinartz had a hit and an RBI.
Medina pitched four scoreless innings in relief of Blake Hughes for the win. Medina allowed three hits and walked three while striking out three. Hughes allowed four runs (two earned) in one inning. Brayden Zink pitched a scoreless sixth to close it out.
Rochester trailed 4-0 going into the bottom of the second but scored in each of the last five innings.
The game was the final home game for seniors Hughes, Stesiak, Lutz, Beehler, Reinartz and Grant McCarter.
Rochester 14, Bremen 4 (6 innings)
Bremen 040 000 – 4
Rochester 013 334 – 14
WP – Ethan Medina (4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K)
LP – Orcutt (4 ⅓ IP, 10 H, 10 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K)
2B – Kane Lutz 2 (RHS), Evan Elliott (RHS)
HR – Quin Stesiak (RHS)
Rochester 6, Wabash 3 (May 17): Quin Stesiak had three hits, including a solo homer, and Aaron Huffman allowed two runs over six innings as the Zebras earned a TRC road win over Wabash May 17.
Wabash trailed 6-2 going into the bottom of the seventh but scored a run on Justin Booth’s RBI double and loaded the bases, but Tarick McGlothin got Jasper Walter on a pop-up to shortstop with the bases loaded to end the game.
Huffman allowed only two hits, but he walked five and hit two batters. He said the soggy weather affected him, so he changed his approach and the way he gripped the ball.
“I kept losing my grip of the ball, and the landing spot wasn’t the best,” Huffman said. “I had to suck it up and deal with it at times.”
Huffman said he throws a fastball, curve, slider and change-up, and he said he’s also working on a cutter. Huffman said that coach Cory Good told him three days before the game that he would get the starting nod.
“I was excited,” Huffman said. “I was preparing for it. … I just set up a net in my backyard and started working on pitches and started getting a feel for them early.”
McGlothin had a two-run single in the second inning that gave Rochester a 5-1 lead. Evan Elliott and Kyle Reinartz each added a hit and an RBI. Brock Beehler, Grant McCarter, Kane Lutz and Jake Seuferer each added a hit.
Ethan Medina was the lone Zebra in the starting lineup without a hit, but he walked twice and scored a run. Medina walked in the first, went to second on a passed ball and scored on Elliott’s double. Elliott went to third on another passed ball and scored on Reinartz’s RBI groundout to first.
Jasper Walter scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the first to make it 2-1.
Lutz, Seuferer and Stesiak started the top of the second with back-to-back-to-back singles. Lutz scored on a wild pitch, and McGlothin added a two-run single to left field.
Walter’s RBI hit-by-pitch made it 5-2 in the fourth, but Huffman got Jared Brooks on a fly to shallow right and Joe Leland to ground into a forceout to Lutz at second to escape further trouble.
“When he got his back up against the wall and he got himself in tough situations, he got himself out of it,” Rochester coach Cory Good said. “And that shows a lot of grit from a young kid like that. We’ve been getting him out here more and more as the year’s gone on, He just hit his spots and got weak contact and kept them off-balance enough, I think, and just commanded the ball well really.”
Rochester won their third straight game. They were trailing 5-3 with two outs in the top of the seventh against Manchester on May 12 but came back to win 6-5, and they have not lost since. Good said the recent stretch is a sign of the team growing confidence.
“I feel like we’re finding our groove,” Huffman said.
Stesiak’s homer down the left field line in the sixth is believed to be the first home run a Rochester player has ever hit at pitcher-friendly Chris Rood Field.
“He’s been great,” Good said. “Started the year slow. Really been working on what pitches he drives if he really hunts those pitches. He got his pitch there, and boy, he gave it a ride. … He deserves it. He’s been working on his approach all year long and just really been taking it serious. He’s been hitting the ball really well for us lately.”
Rochester 6, Wabash 3
Rochester 230 001 0 – 6 10 2
Wabash 100 100 1 – 3 4 1
WP – Aaron Huffman (6 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 2 HBP, 2 K)
LP – Andrew Dillon (3 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 0 K)
2B – Evan Elliott (RHS), Colton Learned (WAB), Justin Booth (WAB)
HR – Quin Stesiak (RHS)
Rochester 5-3, Northfield 0-7 (May 15): The Rochester and Northfield baseball teams split a doubleheader at Bob Copeland Field May 15.
Rochester won the first game 5-0. Northfield won the second game 7-3.
Kyle Reinartz and Brock Beehler combined on a four-hit shutout in the first game. Reinartz allowed three hits and walked two over five innings. He struck out six. Beehler allowed one hit over two scoreless innings of relief.
Grant McCarter had two hits and two runs scored for the Zebras. Reinartz and Beehler each had a hit and an RBI. Jake Seuferer had an RBI. Evan Elliott and Ethan Medina each had hits.
Rochester also committed no errors.
Jarret Shafer took the loss for the Norsemen. He allowed five hits and four earned runs in six innings. He walked four and hit two batters and struck out six. Dillon Tomlinson allowed an unearned run in the seventh.
Clayton Tomlinson had two hits.
In Game 2, Brayden Zink had a single and an RBI, and Tarick McGlothin also had an RBI for RHS. Quin Stesiak doubled and scored a run.
Rochester committed five errors, and all seven Northfield runs were unearned. Elliott pitched the first two innings and took the loss. Zink and McGlothin pitched two innings each, and Hunter Campbell tossed one inning. The four Rochester pitchers combined for 10 striksouts.
Dillon Tomlinson and Clayton Tomlinson combined on a two-hitter. Dillon Tomlinson pitched four hitless innings for the win, and Clayton Tomlinson got the save.
Only the first game counted in the TRC standings. Rochester was the visiting team in Game 1 and the home team in Game 2.
The teams had been scheduled to play at Northfield on May 10, but the game was postponed due to wet grounds and moved to Rochester.
Game 1: Rochester 5, Northfield 0 (TRC)
Rochester 111 001 1 – 5 6 0
Northfield 000 000 0 – 0 4 1
WP – Kyle Reinartz (5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K)
LP – Shafer (6 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 6 K)
2B – Kyle Reinartz (RHS), Grant McCarter (RHS), Ethan Medina (RHS), Shafer (NF)
Game 2: Northfield 7, Rochester 3 (nonconference)
Northfield 042 001 0 – 7 8 4
Rochester 001 020 0 – 3 2 5
WP – D. Tomlinson (4 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K)
LP – Evan Elliott (2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K)
S – C. Tomlinson (3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 4 K)
2B – C. Tomlinson (NF), Quin Stesiak (RHS)
Softball
Rochester 20, Wabash 5 (5 innings, May 17): Emma Sells went 4 for 4 with two RBIs and four runs scored, and Kallie Watson lashed a double and two singles and drove in five runs for the Lady Zs in a win over host Wabash May 17.
Emma Howdeshell had three hits and three RBIs, and Emma Goodman had two hits and two RBIs. Kylie Coleman also had two RBIs. Sydney Haughs doubled, walked and scored three times. Maddie Heinzmann and Carlee Blackburn each had a hit and an RBI.
Mya Musselman allowed three hits and five runs (one earned) in 4 ⅓ innings. She walked two and struck out four. Haughs got the final two outs in the fifth.
Wabash pitchers walked three, hit five batters and threw four wild pitches. Rochester had 10 stolen bases.
Rochester scored seven runs in the first inning and 10 more in the second to grab a 17-3 lead.
Rochester coach Becky Lee said she wanted her hitters to see the ball all the way in to home plate. Rochester had only four hits in a loss to Manchester five days earlier but had 15 hits in this game.
“I would say that everyone had a good game today,” Rochester coach Becky Lee said. “Everyone was giving 100 percent effort. I was asking them to execute bunts and steal and do different things that may be a little bit out of their comfort zone. And everyone was very successful and very open to trying different things.”
Rochester 20, Wabash 5 (5 innings)
Rochester 7(10)2 01 – 20 15 5
Wabash 300 11 – 5 4 3
WP – Mya Musselman (4 ⅓ IP< 3 H, 5 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 4 K)
LP – Hall (5 IP, 15 H, 20 R, 17 ER, 3 BB, 5 HBP, 0 K)
2B – Sydney Haughs (RHS), Kallie Watson (RHS), Emma Sells (RHS), Collins (WAB)
3B – Lutz (WAB)
Girls tennis
Houston named honorable mention all-TRC: Rochester No. 1 singles player Hannah Houston was selected honorable mention all-TRC by the conference’s coaches.
Culver Academy 5, Rochester 0 (May 19): The Rochester girls tennis team lost to Culver Academy in a sectional semifinal at Knox on May 19.
The Lady Zs lost all five matches in straight sets. Hannah Houston, Kimberly Banic and Ryli Rouch lost in singles. The doubles teams of Molly Conley and Kylie Houston at No. 1 and Lilli Eaton and Carli Richard lost at No. 2.
Rochester finished 2-10.
“We played very well against a very strong opponent,” Rochester coach Jesse Atkinson said in a statement.
Culver Academy went on to win the sectional with a 4-1 win over North Judson on May 20.
RESULTS: CULVER ACADEMY 5, ROCHESTER 0
Singles
Quinn Vasquez (CGA) def. Hannah Houston (RHS), 6-2, 6-0
Sadie Barret (CGA) def. Kimberly Banic (RHS), 6-3, 6-2
Becky Young (CGA) def. Ryli Rouch (RHS), 6-0, 6-0
Doubles
Felisa Fuentes-Luci Landry (CGA) def. Molly Conley-Kylie Houston (RHS), 6-0, 6-3
Annabelle Curtis-Maya Jyothinegaram (CGA) def. Lilli Eaton-Carli Richard (RHS), 6-2, 6-0
