Game 1: Coleman strikes out 11 in Zebra rout of Southwood

Game 2: Rochester leaves 9 on base in shutout loss to Oak Hill

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Conner Dunfee Braylon Smith

CONVERSE — On a dry turf suitable for running, the Rochester baseball team stole 14 bases and overran Southwood 18-3 in the first game of a three-way doubleheader at Oak Hill High School Saturday.

The offense ran into muddier waters in their second game, a 4-0 loss to sectional rival Oak Hill.

Rochester 18, Southwood 3

Southwood had just snapped a 23-game losing streak with a 15-4 win in five innings over Southern Wells in their previous game, but Rochester relied on an all-encompassing effort to prevent them from dreaming about a winning streak Saturday.

Ten different Rochester players had a hit, nine different players had a stolen base, and eight different players had an RBI.

“They struggled a little bit there throwing some strikes and stuff, but we were just aggressive on the bases today,” Rochester coach Cory Good said. “We kind of had to call off the dogs a little bit late, but they were helping us a little bit. I hope it’s not bad habits and making sure we’re getting good reads on stuff and not just taking advantage of stuff and not just taking advantage of some opportunities, but we did run the bases well today.”

Conner Dunfee had three hits and three RBIs, and Carson Paulik had three hits and two RBIs. Liam Spence had a pair of RBI groundouts. Linden Wilburn also had two RBIs when he capped a nine-run seventh with a two-run double.

Brady Coleman, Parker Casper and Braylon Smith also had multi-hit games.

A junior, Smith played right field against Southwood, and he has also seen time at catcher. Smith has become a fixture in the lineup.

“I would say so,” Smith said when asked if this game was a turning point for the offense after a 3-2 loss to Winamac in their previous game. “It was just really bat to ball honestly. Just get more hits. Don’t worry about trying to slam it. Get the ball down, put it in play and run the bases, and that’s all (Good) really said to us.”

Smith was asked how he has improved as a hitter.

“I would say I changed my plate approach a lot the first game I played (against) Eastern,” Smith said. “I was just hunting fastballs, nothing else. Just anything that’s hittable and put it in play and just let it rip.”

Rochester jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the third when Paulik scored on a wild pitch, Dunfee singled home two, and Spence drove in a run with a grounder to short.

Rochester made it 6-0 in the third. Ferverda drove in a run with an RBI groundout to shortstop, and Brant Beck later scored on a passed ball.

With the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth, Paulik hit a hot grounder in the hole on the left side. Southwood shortstop Kallen Gidley made a diving effort to his right and stopped the ball momentarily, but the ball trickled under his glove on the turf far enough for Parks to score from third and Coleman to score all the way from second and make it 8-0.

Another RBI groundout from Spence in the fifth made it 9-0.

Coleman hit Coan Holloway with a pitch with the bases loaded and two outs in the fifth, but he bounced back to strike out Gidley and escape further trouble.

In the sixth, Aiden Hawkins scored on a throwing error, and Tripper Schnepp later had an RBI single to get the lead down to 9-3.

But the first nine Zebras came around to score in the seventh. Wilburn scored on a wild pitch. Dunfee had an RBI infield single on a chopper up the middle and then scored on a passed ball. Parks had an RBI triple down the right field line, Coleman had an RBI infield single, Casper had an RBI single, and Beck had an RBI double before Wilburn ripped his double.

Coleman retired 10 in a row at one point, a stretch that included four straight strikeouts at one point. Dunfee pitched a scoreless seventh to finish off the combined three-hitter.

“He is just efficient and commands the zone well,” Good said. “On his 26th pitch, he threw his second ball today. … He’s just effective. He locates the ball well. He moves the ball well. He just gets weak contact and pitches to contact, and that’s what we need.”

The game was scheduled for April 22 at Southwood but postponed due to wet grounds. Southwood was also scheduled to host Oak Hill Friday, but that game was also postponed, so Oak Hill stepped in and hosted a three-way doubleheader, which allowed Rochester a chance to play a sectional rival in Oak Hill that was not otherwise on their schedule.

The games featured a three-man umpiring crew.

Rochester 18, Southwood 3

Rochester 042 210 9 – 18 17 2

Southwood 000 012 0 – 3 3 2

WP – Brady Coleman (6 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 11 K)

LP – Tripper Schnepp (3 ⅔ IP, 4 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 6 BB, 3 K)

2B – Brady Coleman (RHS), Carson Paulik (RHS), Brant Beck (RHS), Linden Wilburn (RHS)

3B – Zakk Parks (RHS)

Oak Hill 4, Rochester 0

Jett Ott and Kevaunte Simmons combined on a six-hit shutout as the host Golden Eagles, ranked No. 12, beat the Zebras.

Casper took the loss, allowing two runs over five innings. He allowed four hits and two walks while striking out six. Brant Beck relieved to start the sixth and allowed two runs (one earned) while allowing one hit.

Casper and Ott matched scoreless innings through the first four. 

Oak Hill had runners at second and third with one out in the first, but Casper got Tae’Shawn Inman on a comebacker, looking Landon Watts back to third before throwing out Inman at first. He then got Simmons on a grounder to short with Dunfee making a nifty scoop at first base on a low throw from Coleman.

He walked Ott with two outs in the second but got Ayden Pearce on a grounder to short.

He hit Beckham Lamb with a pitch with one out in the third, but Trenner Boswell lined into an inning-ending double play with Beck catching the liner and nipping Lamb with a quick throw trying to get back.

Simmons singled with one out in the fourth, but Casper struck out Kyler Thompson looking and Gage Stickann swinging to end the inning.

He then retired the first two batters in the fifth, but he hit Watts with a pitch. Watts then advanced on a balk – the call came after Casper delivered a pitch and Lamb appeared to hit a grounder to first base – and scored when Lamb delivered an RBI single.

“There’s two strikes on him and two outs, and we get a ground ball up the first baseline that Dunfee makes a good play on, and they call a balk there, and we’re going to make that out and get out of that inning, and that changes a lot,” Good said. “Our pitchers have gotten into a habit of working a little quick once there in a rhythm, and just keeping consistent with that is important, so it was a big moment.”

When Watts beat the throw home, Lamb advanced to second, and he then scored on an RBI double to deep right from Boswell to make it 2-0.

Ayden Pearce’s two-run single in the sixth made it 4-0.

As for Rochester, they had baserunners in every inning but the seventh but left nine on base.

Ott got Coleman to fly to center with the bases loaded in the second and got Smith to fly to right with two on to end the third. 

Dunfee singled with one out in the fourth and stole second, but Ott struck out Brayson Flory and got Coleman to fly out to right.

Dunfee went 3 for 3 for his third straight multi-hit game. Casper added two hits, and Flory had a hit.

“I thought we really made some good contact and had some good plate approaches,” Good said. “We hit the ball on the screws at guys today. I was kind of joking around with some guys that maybe in May, they’ll fall. … You get a couple of those to fall, and it’s a different ballgame.”

Paulik played catcher with regular catcher Parks unavailable due to attending another school’s prom. Paulik threw out Pearce trying to steal in the sixth,

“Carson’s been a catcher coming up for quite a few years here,” Good said. “We talked about that when (2024 Rochester grad) Jake (Seuferer) was a sophomore probably or maybe going into his junior year. We know he can do it. … He’s played every position for us this year besides center field, and you’ll probably see that before the year is over.”

Oak Hill beat Southwood 10-0 in five innings in the third game of the day.

Oak Hill 4, Rochester 0

Rochester 000 000 0 – 0 6 2

Oak Hill 000 022 X – 4 5 2

WP – Jett Ott (5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K)

LP – Parker Casper (5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K)

S – Kevaunte Simmons (2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K)

2B – Trenner Boswell (OH)