‘Dun’ deal: Rochester senior retires 12 in a row on mound, scores winning run on error in extra-inning win over Caston

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

One day made a big difference for Conner Dunfee.

The Rochester senior pitched four hitless innings of relief for the win and also singled and eventually scored the winning run in the eighth inning as the Zebras edged Caston 6-5 at Bob Copeland Field Friday.

Zakk Parks also had a hit in the eighth inning rally. Linden Wilburn and Callen Ferverda each had a hit and an RBI. Brady Coleman had a double.

Rochester also stole eight bases. All six of their runs were unearned as Caston committed five errors.

London Herd had two hits and three RBIs for Caston. Parker Zimpleman also had a two-run double. Logan Mollenkopf, Eli Holloway and Gavin Mollenkopf also had hits for the Comets in their season opener.

Carson Harness pitched the first 6 ⅓ innings and allowed three hits while striking out 10.

The game was scheduled for Caston, but it was moved less than four hours before game time to Rochester due to wet grounds. Despite the game being played on their home field, Rochester was the visiting team.

Parks led off the top of the eighth with an infield single off Logan Mollenkopf. Wilburn struck out, but Dunfee parachuted a perfectly placed blooper to left-center. Parks and Dunfee executed a double steal.

Caston coach Blake Mollenkopf had the infield move in.

Ferverda then grounded to Holloway at shortstop. Parks took a few steps off third. Holloway looked at Parks and then decided to throw to third. Zimpleman tagged Parks out for the second out. Dunfee and Ferverda then pulled off another double steal, and when the catcher’s throw to try and get Dunfee went into short left for an error, Dunfee came in to score, and Ferverda slid into third.

“We just keep having to pound into their heads if we put pressure on them and just putting the ball in play, small ball, running, being the aggressive team, that’s the only reason we were able to do anything that game,” Rochester coach Cory Good said. “The running game was pretty good. We had to kind of encourage that a little bit. (Gavin) Mollenkopf, they were really quick there on a couple. We just got some good jumps. We decided to buy in to putting some pressure on the defense there late, and it paid off.”

Rochester had the lead again, and Dunfee made it stick. He got Tucker Woolever on a grounder to short and struck out Lucius Edson and Logan Mollenkopf to end it.

Dunfee faced five batters and got none of them out and allowed four runs in a 9-5 loss at Lafayette Jeff Thursday. Approximately 20 hours later, Rochester coach Cory Good called on Dunfee again.

Dunfee walked Carson Harness to start the fifth, but that turned out to be Caston’s final baserunner as he retired 12 in a row. Of the 12 outs, only one came on a batted ball to the outfield, but Trenton Meadows hauled down Brodie Howard’s fly to shallow right for the second out in the seventh.

One particular highlight was fanning Herd looking with a back-door curve to end the sixth.

Dunfee said he has been working with assistant coaches Todd Beehler, Brock Beehler and Kyle Reinartz on his pitching mechanics.

Dunfee was asked how much he is focused on improving his velocity and how much he is focused on improving his movement.

“I’d say I’m not as focused on velo (velocity) as I am movement,” Dunfee said. “Me and coach Beehler have been talking about it a lot. He said the velo will come the better my mechanics get, so I’ve just been trying to work the ball in different directions and keep batters off balance.”

Caston took a 2-0 lead in the first. Holloway reached on an infield single off Rochester starter Liam Spence with one out. Gavin Mollenkopf grounded to third, but the throw to second for an attempted force on Holloway was wild and went into the outfield for an error.

That put runners on first and third. Gavin Mollenkopf then stole second. Holloway and Gavin Mollenkopf scored on Herd’s double to deep center.

Harness retired 10 of the first 11 batters he faced, but he walked Carson Paulik for the second time with one out in the fourth.

Brant Beck laid down a sacrifice bunt, but the throw to get him at first was in the dirt for an error. Paulik and Beck pulled off a double steal. 

Parks hit a grounder to the 3-4 area on the right side of the diamond. Herd, the first baseman, took a step towards the ball but then headed back to the bag as Howard, the second baseman, fielded it moving to his left.

Howard threw and Herd tried to catch it while trying to locate the bag with his foot. He missed the throw for an error, scoring Paulik and moving Beck to third.

Parks then stole second.

Wilburn then floated a bloop single to left-center to tie the game and move Parks to third. Dunfee’s slow roller was booted for an error to score Parks and give Rochester their first lead.

Ferverda then laid down a sacrifice bunt down the third baseline. The throw to try and get him at first was wild for another error with Ferverda, an all-Three Rivers Conference offensive lineman in football, plowing into Herd at first base as Herd tried to catch it.

Wilburn and Dunfee scored on the play, and Ferverda reached second on Caston’s fourth error of the inning.

But Caston came back with three runs of their own in the fourth, all unearned after Spence retired the first two batters.

Holloway reached on an error, and Gavin Mollenkopf was hit by a pitch. Herd singled to right to score Holloway, and runners advanced to second and third when the throw to try and get Holloway at the plate was late.

“I think he’s a very talented hitter,” coach Mollenkopf said of Herd. “I think he’s a very talented hitter. I think he’ll grow defensively. I think skill-wise, he’s very good at first base. He’s catching the game a little bit yet and the speed of the game. But offensively, he’s a good hitter, and he’s got a good short swing, and he’ll help us. (He’s) one of those last year that we brought him along slower at the 7-8-9 spot as our DH and seeing those late conference games he played and the sectional. I knew where he was going in my mind. He probably surprised some people this year but not me. He’s a very talented player, and I think he’ll hit in the middle of the lineup for the next three years.”

Zimpleman’s fly to right field eluded the diving Brayson Flory to score Gavin Mollenkopf and Herd with the game-tying double.

Rochester went down in order off Harness in the fifth and sixth. In the seventh, Ferverda led off with a single. One out later, he moved to third when Coleman doubled to deep center.

Logan Mollenkopf was summoned from center field to pitch. He struck out Casper, intentionally walked Paulik to load the bases and then struck out Beck looking to escape trouble.

“I felt like bringing in Logan in there with (men on) second and third was a clutch thing too for him to get out of that,” coach Mollenkopf said. “It was good for both of them to see the mound, but Carson was just really good tonight, and he executed. We’ve grown to expect that from him. He’s just that kind of a guy for us.”

JV: Rochester 6, Caston 3

Rochester won a three-inning JV game after the varsity game was completed. Braylon Smith and Trenton Meadows combined on a no-hitter, and Jay Ritter doubled and drove in three runs. Jesse Smith had a double and an RBI, and Camden Zink also doubled.

Jack Brumett walked twice and scored a run for Caston. Koiye Gibson and Zayne McBride each had a run scored.

Mason Metzger took the loss on the mound. All six runs allowed were unearned thanks to six errors.

Rochester 6, Caston 5 (8 innings)

Rochester 000 500 01 – 6 5 4

Caston 200 300 00 – 5 6 5

WP – Conner Dunfee (4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K)

LP – Logan Mollenkopf (1 ⅔ IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K)

2B – London Herd (CAS), Parker Zimpleman (CAS), Brady Coleman (RHS)