Eastern’s bunts take their Tolle, end Rochester’s season

Parks has 3 hits, Paulik steals home in sectional semifinal loss

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

The Rochester baseball team lost to Eastern (Greentown) 6-5 in a Class 2A, Sectional 38 semifinal at Eastern to end their season. The Zebras finished 13-16. Front, from left – Braylon Smith, Callen Ferverda, Brant Beck, Zakk Parks, Conner Dunfee, Brady Coleman. Back – Trenton Meadows, Carson Paulik, Parker Casper, Liam Spence, Linden Wilburn, Brayson Flory, Mitchell Clark.

GREENTOWN — Zakk Parks had three hits, and Carson Paulik stole home and later added an RBI single, but the Rochester baseball team fell 6-5 to Eastern (Greentown) in a Class 2A, Sectional 38 semifinal at Eastern Saturday.

Linden Wilburn, Conner Dunfee, Brant Beck, Callen Ferverda and Liam Spence added one hit each.

Eastern scored four unearned runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a 4-1 lead, and they stayed ahead the rest of the way.

Eastern, ranked No. 16, put 10 bunts in play. Six different starters for the Comets bunted.

Eastern improved to 20-11 and earned a sectional final matchup with Wabash, who edged Oak Hill 4-3 in eight innings in Saturday’s first semifinal.

Rochester, who came into the sectional on a three-game winning streak, finished 13-16.

The Zebras would get within 6-5 in the sixth, but Eastern pitcher Colt Snyder got Linden Wilburn to line out to shortstop with the bases loaded to end the inning. Reliever Owen Tolle pitched a perfect seventh – he threw seven pitches, all strikes – to close it out.

Tolle caught the first six innings before climbing the mound. He had enough energy to do a back flip after freshman Cash Boles made a sensational diving stop to his right to throw out Brant Beck to end the game.

Graduating Rochester seniors included Paulik, Ferverda, Dunfee, Parks and Beck.

Rochester took a 1-0 lead in the first. After Paulik reached on an error and Parks singled, Paulik took off for third. Snyder threw behind him, but Hurt could not handle the throw and everybody was safe.

Then Snyder faked to third and whirled to first. He had Parks picked off, but Parks stayed in a rundown long enough for Paulik to steal home, and Parks wound up at second.

Linden Wilburn grounded a single through the hole on the left side, but Parks was thrown out trying to score. Parker Casper walked.

Then Snyder picked off Wilburn, who was caught in a rundown and eventually tagged out trying to steal third.

In the bottom of the first, Tolle singled to left and Trey Beachy walked.

Then the bunts started. Bently Hullinger laid down a sacrifice, and when the throw to try and force Tolle at third was wild for an error, Tolle scored, and Beachy advanced to third with Hullinger reaching second.

Cody Tarrh reached on a dropped fly ball in center field to score Beachy. Two batters later, Kaleb Hurt bunted on the right side for a single to load the bases.

Then came another bunt from Cash Boles on a suicide squeeze to Paulik on the mound. Paulik threw Boles out at first with Hullinger scoring. Hurt overran second base and Dunfee ran at him with the ball. Rochester got Hurt in a rundown between second and third but did not make a play on Tarrh, who took off from third while Hurt was trying to stay alive.

Rochester eventually tagged Hurt after he also overran third for an unusual double play, but two runs scored to give Eastern a 4-1 lead.

Rochester cut the margin to 4-2 in the second after singles from Dunfee and Callen Ferverda and a safety squeeze RBI bunt from Liam Spence.

Eastern had the bases loaded with one out in the second, but Hullinger grounded into a forceout at the plate, and Paulik threw Tolle out at the plate on an attempted steal of home after Beachy tried to bait him by straying way off second.

Eastern also had a runner at third with one out in the third, but Paulik struck out Hurt and got Boles to ground out to third on a bunt attempt.

A lapse in control hurt Paulik in the fourth when he hit Snyder, Eastern’s No. 9 batter, with a pitch. Snyder stole second on a delayed steal and scored all the way from second on Beachy’s infield single after it deflected off Dunfee over to Beck at second base. Beck fed Paulik covering first, but it was late to get the hustling Beachy, and Snyder never hesitated.

Eastern led 5-2.

In the top of the fifth, Brady Coleman reached on an error on the first baseman and Paulik walked. Parks grounded an opposite field single just inside the first baseline to load the bases. Two run-scoring wild pitches from Snyder would cut the lead to 5-4, but Snyder struck out Dunfee looking to retire the side.

In the bottom of the fifth, Tarrh led off with a double, moved to third on Alister Shrock’s sacrifice bunt and scored on a wild pitch.

Snyder retired the first two batters in the sixth before Spence singled and Coleman walked. Paulik then singled to center to score Spence and make it 6-5.

Parks reached on an infield single to load the bases.

Wilburn then smashed a liner up the middle, but Hurt caught it at shortstop and put his hand to his ear, asking for more applause from the crowd.

It turned out to be Rochester’s last chance to score.

Right fielder Wilburn threw out Reid Kretz trying to score from second on Beachy’s single to end the sixth with catcher Parks straying away from the plate to catch Wilburn’s throw and then lunging to tag out Kretz.

Eastern (Greentown) 6, Rochester 5

Rochester 110 021 0 – 5 9 3

Eastern 400 110 X – 6 8 2

WP – Colt Snyder (6 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 7 K)

LP – Carson Paulik (6 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K)

2B – Cody Tarrh (EAST)