Eight isn’t enough: Lady Zs beat shorthanded Peru

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Jadyn Field Aubrey Wilson

PERU — Chaos is often a component of high school softball, and the play that ended the bottom of the third inning in Rochester’s game against Peru at the Tiger North Athletic Complex Monday was an example.

Rochester was leading 9-4 with runners on first and second and two outs when Peru’s Marlee Honn lined a ball off the chest, abdomen and hand of Rochester pitcher Bria Rensberger.

Rensberger dropped in a heap in the circle in intense pain.

Honn had an infield single. While Rensberger’s teammates rushed in to check on her, the ball laid only about a foot away from Rensberger.

And that led to Peru coach Mike Gapski’s dilemma: Peru had only eight players. That meant they would have to take an automatic out whenever the No. 9 spot in the batting order would come up. Honn was the No. 8 batter in the Peru batting order.

So if he decided to hold Ky Correll, who had advanced to third, the inning would essentially end with the bases loaded. So instead, Gapski decided to wave in Correll, and shortstop Aubrey Wilson picked up the loose ball and threw to Jadyn Field at the plate to easily retire Correll and end the inning.

It was the chaotic, crucial play as Rochester won 11-6 in a game that had a my-team-is-on-the-field energy but an unhappy ending for the home team.

Rochester improved to 16-4 overall and 6-0 in the Three Rivers Conference. Peru dropped to 8-8, 4-2.

Rochester committed two errors while Peru had six. Rochester also won a game in which their pitchers walked nine.

If Rochester wins two or more of their final three conference games, they will win the TRC.

After lying on the ground in agony and being tended to by trainers and coaches, Rensberger walked off the field under her own power, and she grounded out to start the fourth.

She then pitched the bottom of the fourth, but her pitches appeared to lack their typical velocity and movement.

Brailyn Hunter then came in and pitched the final three innings for the save. She also went 2 for 4 at the plate with a sixth-inning RBI that made the score 10-4.

“I wasn’t really expecting it,” Hunter said of her pitching. “I wasn’t completely warmed up, so I was kind of nervous because I didn’t get to warm up all my pitches all the way, but I just knew I had to hit spots to get it. I didn’t have to throw any extra pitches, just hit my spots.”

Coleman said the concern with Rensberger is in her hand and wrist area that she instinctively raised to protect herself as Honn’s liner sizzled towards her.

“It’s just below her pinkie area,” Rochester coach Jim Coleman said. “She was saying after two or three batters after she got hit, her pinkie finger started going numb. So we tried getting her through that last inning there that she threw just to give Brai a little bit of time to get loose. But the good thing is it doesn’t appear to be very swollen at the current time, but it is really sore around the wrist area on the outside part of her throwing hand. We’ll have (certified athletic trainer) Christina (Hughes) check it (Tuesday). Hopefully, nothing’s broke. It doesn’t seem like it. She can squeeze OK. She just gets a little bit of pain in the wrist area.”

Hunter allowed Correll’s two-run double in the sixth that cut the deficit to 10-6, but Wilson added an RBI single into the vacated hole on the left side in the seventh to complete the scoring.

Hunter got Honn to ground to Wilson to start the seventh. In essence, it was a double play. Molly Mann reached on an error, but Lilly Steele flew out to Darah Strasser in center to end it.

Rochester used the bunt to take a 2-0 lead in the first. Both Wilson and Rensberger, the Nos. 3-4 and hitters, respectively, bunted. Wilson’s bunt went for a single, and Rensberger’s squeeze bunt led to a wild throw to first and two runs scoring.

Rensberger pitched a one-hitter with 13 strikeouts in beating Peru 5-0 in their TRC meeting last year. This time, Bailee Kintner doubled to deep left to score Steele and cut the lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the first.

But Rochester got to Kintner for seven runs in the second. Mylee Heinzmann reached on an error and stole second, and Mia Howdeshell walked. Aubrey Miller reached on an error to load the bases.

Kintner then hit Emma Mathias with a pitch to force in a run. Wilson reached on an error on the first baseman to score Howdeshell and Miller. That moved Mathias to third, and when the throw to try and get Mathias was late, Wilson moved to second.

Rensberger then doubled to left-center to score Mathias and Wilson, and when Jadyn Field crushed a two-run homer, the lead was 9-1.

In her previous start against the Lady Zs, Kintner beat Rochester 6-3 in a tournament game at Jimtown on April 27, 2024. She struck out 10 in that game.

This time, she allowed 11 hits, walked two and hit a batter while striking out only six.

“Her change-up not only was a change of speed, but it also moved down quite a bit,” Coleman said. “I don’t know of she was throwing a rise ball or what it was, but by the time it finished, it was up by our chest. So she’s got some good movement and some good speed. We faced her last year in the Jimtown Invitational. … We knew what she had, but her velocity has improved from last season as well.”

Mann singled, Steele walked, and Kintner singled to start the third. Kaycee Leffler’s two-run single made it 9-3, and after Rensberger struck out Ila Johnson, Correll drove in a run on a fielder’s choice grounder.

Pheobe Steele reached on an error, which brought Honn to the plate.

Peru lists only 10 players on their varsity roster. Due to injury and illness, only eight were available Monday. They played with two outfielders.

Rochester 11, Peru 6

Rochester 270 001 1 – 11 11 2

Peru 103 002 0 – 6 7 6

WP – Bria Rensberger (4 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 3 K)

LP – Bailee Kintner (7 IP, 11 H, 11 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 6 K)

S – Brailyn Hunter (3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 0 K)

2B – Bria Rensberger (RHS), Mylee Heinzmann (RHS), Bailee Kintner (PERU), Ila Johnson (PERU), Ky Correll (PERU)

HR – Jadyn Field (RHS)