Field’s RBI single, Rensberger’s 10 Ks help Rochester edge Southwood

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Bria Rensberger

Jadyn Field went 3 for 3 and drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI single in the sixth, and Bria Rensberger pitched a seven-hitter with two walks and 10 strikeouts as the Rochester softball team edged Southwood 3-2 at Fansler Field Wednesday.

Down by one, Southwood threatened in the seventh. Hayven Schipper led off with a single, but Alivia Pershing grounded into a forceout, and pinch-hitter Hannah Wilson struck out.

Rowan Goodpasture doubled to deep right-center to move Pershing to third, but after a meeting in the circle between coach Jim Coleman, Rensberger got Rylee Thomas on a fly to Brailyn Hunter in right field to end it.

Four sophomores – Field, Aubrey Wilson, Hunter and Rensberger – combined for seven of the Lady Zs’ eight hits. Combined with Rensberger’s work in the circle, this game was an ode to the sophomores and their competitiveness against a Southwood team that, like them, is coming off a sectional title in 2024.

“Honestly, coming in last season as freshmen, I felt like with the experience that they had coming in with travel (ball) and everything that we could push that group more than a normal group,” Rochester coach Jim Coleman said. “Jadyn came in Friday morning and took a lot of extra BP (batting practice). Her swing against Culver looked outstanding. And then Eastern, she went 5 for 5. And then tonight, she was a little bit off behind the plate, but she’s been seeing the ball extremely well in the box.

“And then, Bria in the circle, we lean on her a lot. When she’s not in the circle, our focus seems to dip a little bit, and that’s something we’ve addressed. But she’s such a workhorse, and she just really pushes and hates to fail, and you can really say that about the entire sophomore class. … They’re all such competitors. They push each other, and they push the rest of the team.”

Rochester jumped to a 2-0 lead in the third. Darah Strasser led off with a single. One out later, Emma Mathias sacrificed her to second and reached on an error.

After Strasser and Mathias executed a double steal, Wilson then reached on an error. Strasser scored, but Mathias was thrown out at the plate.

Wilson advanced to second on the throw home and then stole second, and when the throw to try and get her at third flew into left field for the third error of the inning, Wilson hustled home to make it 2-0.

Nika Tyson’s RBI bunt single in the fourth cut the lead to 2-1, and Izzy Ashba’s RBI double in the top of the sixth tied it.

Wilson led off the bottom of the sixth with a single, and she stole second. Two batters later, Field grounded a hard single to center field for her eighth consecutive hit. It brought home Wilson to give the Lady Zs the lead.

Rochester struck out only once against Southwood’s Natalie Sutphin. Sutphin had 11 strikeouts in a 7-3 win at Fansler Field last year.

“We took a different approach in the box tonight,” Coleman said. “Generally, I’d like to be a little bit more patient, but we attacked a lot of first pitches tonight knowing that she throws strikes. She’s not going to walk very many, so we had that mindset going in to really jump on the first pitch, and our girls responded. We put the bat on the ball, and we forced them to make plays on us, and that’s not something we’ve done all year. So it was a good step in the right direction.”

Rochester 3, Southwood 2

Southwood 000 101 0 – 2 7 3

Rochester 002 001 X – 3 8 1

WP – Bria Rensberger (7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 10 K)

LP – Natalie Sutphin (6 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K)

2B – Izzy Ashba (SW), Rowan Goodpasture (SW)