Rensberger, Howdeshell, Mathias combine for no-hitter as Lady Zs romp over Triton

Rensberger also homers, Harding adds 3 hits

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Makhia Harding Emma Mathias

Bria Rensberger, Mia Howdeshell and Emma Mathias pitched a combined no-hitter, and Rensberger also hit a three-run homer to lift the Rochester softball team to a 21-0 romp over Triton in the home opener at chilly Fansler Field Tuesday.

Rochester improved to 2-0. Triton, playing their first game for coach Brad Hargrave, fell to 0-1.

Rensberger and Makhia Harding led a 20-hit Lady Z attack with three hits each.

Darah Strasser singled and tripled, and Aubrey Miller also had two hits.

Nine different Rochester players had at least one RBI.

Rochester scored 11 runs in the first inning, the last 10 of which came with two outs. At one point, 10 consecutive batters reached base against Triton pitcher Kyrstin Alderfer. 

“Our big thing was to stay in our window,” Rochester coach Jim Coleman said. “We talk about staying in our strike zone. If it’s in there, let the ball travel. … Let that ball travel deeper in the zone and get a good swing on the pitch.”

Rensberger struck out all three hitters she faced in the first. Howdeshell replaced her to start the second and pitched a 1-2-3 inning before she walked three straight batters in the third, but Alderfer lined into a double play to retire the side.

Howdeshell pitched another 1-2-3 inning in the fourth.

Mathias, a freshman, then made her varsity pitching debut in the fifth, and she walked Kaitlyn Frick and Makenzie Singleton, but she struck out Tessa Coop and Raven Irwin looking with two on base to end it.

“Tonight gave us a great look as far as who else we have as far as in the circle,” Coleman said of the pitchers. “One who didn’t throw tonight that we were planning on throwing was Brailyn Hunter. She’s been throwing the ball well in the circle. … But to get Mia some time in the circle, and for me, to allow Emma Mathias, a freshman coming in, just to get some confidence within her. She’s pitched a lot in middle school and everything, and at the varsity level, just to give her some time and some confidence to develop more of her pitches and more control is big for us moving forward.”

Rochester was already leading 1-0 when Miller scored on a dropped pop-up, but Alderfer struck out Mylee Heinzmann with the bases loaded for the second out.

But Harding doubled home two runs on a liner to left.

Jadyn Field scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-0. Mathias, who was in as a courtesy runner for Harding, scored on another wild pitch to make it 5-0.

Darah Strasser’s RBI infield single scored Howdeshell to make it 6-0. Back-to-back bloop singles from Miller and Hunter made it 8-0. Wilson ripped a double to right-center to make it 9-0. Rensberger would reach on a dropped throw by the first baseman to make it 10-0. Widman scored on a passed ball to make it 11-0.

Wilson had another RBI on a second-inning single.

In the third, Howdeshell lined an RBI double to right, NaChelle Gentry reached on a dropped fly ball to score Howdeshell, Lillee Conley powered an RBI double to deep left, Rensberger lined an RBI double to left, Mathias had an RBI single on a grounder through the 5-6 hole, and Howdeshell reached on an error on a grounder through the shortstop’s legs.

Rensberger then hit her homer in the fourth to complete the scoring.

Coleman was asked about the team’s mentality after last season’s run to a sectional title. Keyton Doran was the only player from last year’s team who graduated.

The season ended with a 3-0 loss to Delphi in a Class 2A regional.

They opened this season with a 7-6 win over Mishawaka Thursday. Mishawaka went 22-4 last season and beat Rochester 8-2 head to head.

“The girls came in hungry,” Coleman said. “They definitely have fed off the sectional championship win. But to be honest, they’re looking for more this season. They got to that Delphi game, and even though (they won a) sectional championship, they feel like they left something out on the field last year. So they came in hungry.

“We had a really good winter. Open gyms, we had great numbers. We had a couple new faces come out. I know the girls are hungry, and I think that showed against Mishawaka. Mishawaka’s a great team. … And they remember that Mishawaka game from last season, the 8-2 game. We went up there ready for them, and they came out extremely hungry.”

Rochester 21, Triton 0 (5 innings)

Triton 000 00 – 0 0 5

Rochester (11)16 3X – 21 20 0

WP – Mia Howdeshell (3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K)

LP – Krystin Alderfer (3 IP, 17 H, 18 R, 13 ER, 2 BB, 2 HBP, 3 K)

2B – Makhia Harding 2 (RHS), Aubrey Wilson (RHS), Mylee Heinzmann (RHS), Mia Howdeshell (RHS), Lillee Conley (RHS), Bria Rensberger (RHS), Audrey Widman (RHS)

3B – Darah Strasser (RHS)

HR – Bria Rensberger (RHS)