8 is not enough: Despite Dunfee’s big RBI day, Rochester falls to Peru

Paulik, Coleman among 3 Zebras who hit homers

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Conner Dunfee Carson Paulik Brady Coleman

The Rochester baseball team came into its home game with Peru at Bob Copeland Field Monday having hit two home runs on the season.

Then they hit three in this game.

Coach Cory Good summed up the power boom in two words: “the wind.”

Unfortunately, Peru got to hit in the same conditions, and they were able to hang on to win 14-13 after leading 9-0 at one point in the second inning.

“Unfortunately today, pitching got us in a bind early, and they hit the heck out of the ball,” Good said.

Peru improved to 11-5 overall and 5-1 in the Three Rivers Conference. Rochester dropped to 10-11, 3-3.

The loss spoiled the game of senior Conner Dunfee’s life. He went 4 for 4 with eight RBIs at the plate. One of the hits was his first career homer, a sixth inning grand slam. He also was Rochester’s most successful pitcher, retiring 15 of the 17 batters he faced over the final four innings.

Unfortunately, both baserunners he allowed came around to score. Reis Bellar homered off him in the fourth, and Isaac Braley led off the seventh with a double.

Bellar’s grounder to second base moved Braley to third, and Lucas Musser’s sacrifice line drive to left scored him to make it 14-12.

It was a crucial insurance run after Brady Coleman hit a solo homer off freshman Lukas Rodriguez with one out in the bottom of the seventh. 

Parker Casper then hit a grounder to third. The throw pulled the first baseman off the bag. He then tried to tag Casper on his way down the baseline, but he dropped the ball, and Casper was called safe.

But Musser then threw out Casper trying to steal, and Rodriguez struck out Linden Wilburn looking to end the game.

Carson Paulik, who came into the game hitting .180, also homered for the Zebras, a three-run shot in the second inning that cut the Peru lead to 9-3.

The rally was starting.

Dunfee’s two-single in the third made it 12-5.

Wilburn roped an RBI double to left, and Dunfee lined another two-run single up the middle in the fifth to make it 13-8.

The sixth inning was all about Dunfee. In the top half, he struck out Carter Musser looking, got Devin Evans on a grounder to short and struck out Jacob Boswell swinging.

In the bottom half, Zakk Parks led off with a double. Two batters later, Casper walked. Then Wilburn was hit by a pitch.

That brought up Dunfee. Peru coach Josh Ulery lifted pitcher Dylan Whitney in favor of Rodriguez.

Rodriguez’s second pitch was a fastball up in the zone, and Dunfee tomahawked onto Indiana 14.

That cut the lead to 13-12.

“He was the guy that was ready to go today,” Good said. “I’m super proud of that kid. He always hasn’t been the most coachable kid the last three years, and he’s owned that, and he’s been extremely coachable this year. So I’m really proud of the way that he came out and played for us today. He stepped up when we needed guys to step up, and I’m proud of the way Conner handled himself today.”

Good reworked the lineup in light of recent slumps: Wilburn, who homered against Valley Saturday, moved up to the fourth spot in the order. Freshman Camden Zink, who came in with three doubles in three at-bats, made his first varsity start and batted sixth and played left field. Paulik dropped to No. 7 on the order, Brayson Flory got the start at designated hitter and batted eighth, and Brant Beck dropped to No. 9.

Zink was the only starter who did not have a hit, but he drew a walk and scored. Parks, Casper and Flory also had hits.

Peru’s Jackson Boswell retired the side on five pitches in the first inning, but it did not foreshadow what happened next.

“We’re hitting the ball harder,” Good said. “That was the bright spot about today. I really felt like we came out with our swings. After that first inning, I think we saw five pitches, just quick in and out. But then after that, I thought we settled in. And just hunted our pitches and found the barrels and hit the ball hard. That’s really what we’ve been searching for this year, so I’m proud of the way that we just went to the plate and changed our approach. Whatever they were doing, it didn’t take us two or three at-bats to make an adjustment. We adjusted on the fly today, and that was big.”

Casper started and took the loss. He faced 15 batters and got three of them out. He pitched one inning and allowed six hits and eight runs (all earned). He walked three, hit three batters and struck out none against a Peru team that came in with all nine starters batting over .300.

Liam Spence relieved and allowed five hits and four runs (three earned) over two innings. He walked none but hit a batter and struck out one.

Jacob Boswell had three hits and three RBIs for Peru, and Bellar also had three hits. Williams Rodriguez had an RBI single in the first off and a three-run homer in the second off Spence to give the Tigers a 9-0 advantage.

Evans had two hits and three RBIs.

Peru 14, Rochester 13

Peru 453 100 1 – 14 13 2

Rochester 032 034 1 – 13 11 1

WP – Jackson Boswell (4 IP, 5 H, 7 R, 7 R, 2 BB, 2 HBP, 2 K)

LP – Parker Casper (1 IP, 6 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 3 BB, 3 HBP, 0 K)

S – Lukas Rodriguez (1 ⅔ IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K)

2B – Jacob Boswell (PERU), Reis Bellar (PERU), Isaac Braley (PERU), Zakk Parks (RHS), Linden Wilburn (RHS)

HR – William Rodriguez (PERU), Reis Bellar (PERU), Carson Paulik (RHS), Conner Dunfee (RHS), Brady Coleman (RHS)