.png)
BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
The Rochester 8-and-under softball team won the Town and Country state championship at Rochester July 15. The team defeated Oak Hill 14-8 in the championship game. Front, from left – Vanessa Sroufe, Teagan Showley, Charli Haughs, K.K. Rensberger, Harper Heyde, Olivia Gibbons, Caitlyn Clupper. Middle – Quinnley Zent, Eva Mulligan, Laken Durkes, Ireland Showley, Lera Barts, coach Oscar Haughs. Back – Assistant coaches J.D. Showley, Brantlyn Showley. (photo provided)
The Rochester 8-and-under softball team lost to North Miami and Oak Hill the first time they played those teams at the Oak Hill Invitational.
But coach Oscar Haughs told them they were capable of beating those teams if they played them again.
They got that chance at the Town and Country state tournament at Rochester and beat both to win the state championship on their home field on July 15.
They are the first Rochester Town and Country softball team to win a state title since the 10-and-under team won state in 2019. That team included Mylee Heinzmann, Aubrey Wilson, Bria Rensberger, Bella Howdeshell, Jadyn Field and Brailyn Hunter, all of whom were on the Rochester High School team that won a sectional title in May.
Haughs said the key to the team’s success was its defense and its ability to put the ball in play.
“The overall solid defense we played game-in and game-out,” Haughs said. “And then we very rarely struck out. All the girls put the bat on the ball and put pressure on the other team’s defense. We had seven returning young ladies from last year’s All-Star team, and then we picked up five new girls this year to complete the team of 12. Those seven returning really solidified our infield defense.”
Rochester went 4-0 to win the state tournament, which went from July 12-15. They beat Madison-Grant 11-5, Caston 12-11 in seven innings, North Miami 6-5 in eight innings and Oak Hill 14-8.
“They were tight games,” assistant coach Brantlyn Showley said of the earlier losses to North Miami and Oak Hill. “We lost by one or two runs. We knew we were good enough to beat them. That’s what Oscar and I told them after each game. It’s like, ‘Hey, this is probably the best competition we’re going to play in the Town and Country.’ And it was good to play them early, and our girls, they were determined to beat them, and that was our goal. We played our best softball by far in that state tournament.”
A regulation Town and Country softball game is six innings long. Games use pitching machines, which throw the ball at 35 miles per hour from 40 feet away from home plate. A hitter must put the ball in play within five pitches, or she is out. There are no walks. Teams play with 10 players on defense, including four outfielders.
The team consisted of 12 players and was an All-Star team selected through tryouts from three 8-and-under teams.
Haughs encouraged players to throw the ball to first base on grounders to the left side of the infield. Often, coaches teach their players to throw the ball back to the player on the pitching rubber rather than risk an overthrow.
“For an 8U team, our defense was very impressive,” Showley said. “Jim Coleman (Rochester varsity coach) actually came to one of our games during state, and he told Oscar and me that he was very impressed with the way our girls field and throw the ball. And that is a tribute to Oscar spending countless hours hitting ground balls to them.”
Haughs praised the kids and their families.
“They’re a great group of girls with a great group of parents,” Haughs said. “The competitive drive is definitely there. It doesn’t matter if they’re just playing backyard ball or if they’re out there playing against another team, they want to win at everything they do.”
The team has since participated at a tournament in Plainfield. They went 3-2 in a tournament which included live pitching from coaches. Live pitching from the circle starts at the 10-and-under age group.
“We wanted to schedule one that was away from town in Indy, so we could all stay at a hotel together and hang out as a group and build that bond more than what we have already,” Showley said.
They are 15-5 overall this summer, and after taking a break, their season will resume at the Winamac fall league, which starts in mid-August. Games in that league will be played on Saturdays.
Showley, who has both a daughter and a niece on the team, hopes the team will get in 45 games this season – 15 in the local Rochester league, 20 with the All-Star team and 10 at the Winamac fall league.
Rochester’s 8-and-under baseball team also won its Town and Country state championship earlier this month.
“That’s a pretty good accomplishment for that second grade and third grade class,” Showley said.
