Field hits go-ahead homer, Rensberger finds control as Lady Zs advance to sectional final
- Val T.
- 4 days ago
- 6 min read
BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
CONVERSE — The Class 2A, Sectional 38 semifinal softball game between No. 15 Rochester and host Oak Hill Wednesday took a 180-degree turn.
Mylee Heinzmann did a 360 spin. It took a turn for the worse when Bria Rensberger’s pitches would not turn in the strike zone, but when Jadyn Field turned around a Karsyn Wiley pitch in the sixth inning, things turned in a way in which there was no going back.
Field’s go-ahead two-run homer put Rochester ahead for good as the Lady Zs rallied from a 2-0 deficit after three innings to record a 7-3 win.
Rochester improved to 20-4. Oak Hill finished 20-7.
“It was a rough start,” Rochester coach Jim Coleman said. “Credit Oak Hill. Wiley was tough early against us. We got down 2-0, and we just challenged the girls like we have all season. This team, they fight. … Like they’ve continued to do really since the North Miami game is to compete and keep pushing and keep the pressure on the opposing team.”
Rochester will play Manchester in the sectional final at 7 p.m. tonight. In Wednesday’s other semifinal, Manchester rallied from a three-run deficit in the sixth inning to defeat Eastern (Greentown) 9-6.
Rensberger pitched a seven-hitter with eight strikeouts for the win. She walked five but none after the third inning. Oak Hill, who came in averaging 8.5 runs per game, did not get a runner into scoring position after the fourth.
Rensberger also struck out eight Lady Golden Eagles. Oak Hill came in striking out just 4.6 times per game.
Rensberger also preceded Field’s homer by hustling out an infield single to lead off the sixth, just beating second baseman Becca Cardona’s throw after Cardona ranged to her right to field Rensberger’s grounder.
That brought up Field, who had struck out swinging in her previous at-bat. Meanwhile, Wiley was now in her 15th inning of work in two days after throwing 130 pitches in Oak Hill’s 2-1 win in nine innings over Lewis Cass in the quarterfinals Tuesday.
Courtesy runner Emma Mathias stole second and then trotted home ahead of Field’s deep drive to center.
Field hopped on home plate before her teammates mobbed her.
“We were loud,” a smiling Rensberger said when asked to recall the dugout reaction. “Everyone had a headache. Everybody’s ears were ringing, and I don’t know if people are going to have voices tomorrow.”
Said Coleman of Field: “That home run really changed the momentum.”
Two batters later, Gabby Medina doubled to deep left, and Mia Howdeshell advanced her to third on a sacrifice bunt.
That brought up Darah Strasser, who on the seventh pitch of her at-bat grounded a sharp single through the right side for a two-strike, two-out RBI single. The lead was 6-3.
Rochester would tack on more insurance in the seventh. Aubrey Miller led off with a single and stole second. Two batters later, she advanced to third on a grounder to short.
Rensberger then lined a single that ticked off first baseman Pathie Speicher’s glove and into right field for another two-out RBI hit.
Heinzmann’s 360 came in the bottom half. After Jolee Hawkins led off by reaching on an error, Wiley then hit a grounder up the middle that led shortstop Aubrey Wilson towards the bag. Wilson fielded it and made a short flip to Heinzmann. A left-handed-throwing second baseman, Heinzmann spun around and fired to Howdeshell at first to complete a 6-4-3 double play.
Rensberger then struck out Madison Archer to end the game.
“It’s one of those things that it’s not ideal to have a left-handed second baseman, and it’s one of those things that we stress with Mylee as far as having her footwork by the time she gets to the base,” Coleman said. “Because she’s got to do a 360 after that touch of second. So it’s something that she’s put a lot of time in, and it’s crazy because when you do a 360, obviously you lose sight of first base, and she’s one that doesn’t have an issue with that. Tough competitor, and that was a huge moment to turn that double play in the bottom of the seventh.”
Statistically, the teams contrasted most in terms of speed: Rochester came in with 111 stolen bases while Oak Hill had 19.
But it was Oak Hill who attempted the game’s first stolen base in the first inning when Alexa Myers dashed on a delayed steal after Field threw back to Rensberger. Rensberger then quickly reacted and threw to Heinzmann covering second for the out.
Oak Hill kept the pressure on in the second with three walks, but Rensberger got Liz Godfrey to fly out to Miller in left field to retire the side and leave the bases loaded.
Oak Hill broke through in the third. Ryleigh Myers – she and older sister Alexa – form a left-hand hitting duo at the top of the Oak Hill lineup – reached on a perfectly placed slap single down the third baseline.
Alexa Myers then reached on a drag bunt single that got just past Rensberger’s left.
Then Hawkins laid down a bunt. Rensberger pounced and looked to throw to first, but nobody was covering. She held on to the ball.
The bases were loaded, and nobody was out.
Coleman visited the circle.
“Coach Coleman came out, and he was very positive, and he was just like, ‘We’re going to lock it down right here. Infield, stay on your toes. We’re going one,’” Rensberger said of the chat with the battery and infielders. “And I was going to throw home, and he was very confident in us that we were going to get three outs and get back to hitting.”
Rensberger struck out Wiley looking but walked Archer to force in a run. Speicher popped to Medina at third on a bunt attempt, but Cardona walked to make it 2-0.
Rensberger got out of it by whiffing Madisyn Evans.
“The umpire’s zone was pretty tight, and I just had to adjust to the zone,” Rensberger said. “I slowed down throwing my movement pitches and just focused on placing my fastballs.”
Offensively, Field and Heinzmann had back-to-back singles in the second, but Wiley retired the next five batters to get through the third.
Her lead did not last long.
She walked Wilson to lead off the fourth, and Wilson stole second. Rensberger then hit a grounder to short. Wilson took off for third. As she ran by, she might have obscured the shortstop’s vision. The shortstop booted the ball for an error.
Wiley struck out Field, but courtesy runner Emma Mathias stole second.
Heinzmann’s soft grounder to Wiley in the circle cut the lead to 2-1 and advanced Mathias to third.
Medina then hit a grounder to short, but the throw to first was wild for an error to bring in Mathias and tie the game.
With one out in the fourth, Ryleigh Myers then soft-served another infield single inside the third baseline. She advanced to second on Alexa Myers’ grounder to second and scored when Hawkins lined a single to left-center for her 39th RBI.
But again, Rochester answered. Miller’s liner right at Wiley was batted down, but by the time Wiley picked it up, Miller had an infield single. She then scored from first on Brailyn Hunter’s double to the right-center gap. Hunter overran second base and was thrown out trying to retreat, but the game was tied.
Speicher singled with one out in the bottom of the fifth, but Rensberger got Cardona on a soft liner to Heinzmann and fanned Evans.
Rensberger then stepped up to start the sixth.
Rochester 7, Oak Hill 3
Rochester 000 213 1 – 7 10 1
Oak Hill 002 100 0 – 3 7 3
WP – Bria Rensberger (7 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 8 K)
LP – Karsyn Wiley (7 IP, 10 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 6 K)
2B – Brailyn Hunter (RHS), Gabby Medina (RHS)
HR – Jadyn Field (RHS)
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