Lady Zs beat Lewis Cass, finish TRC undefeated for first time since 2013

Rensberger fans 15, Heinzmann delivers clutch hit

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Bria Rensberger Mylee Heinzmann

Softball

Rochester 4, Lewis Cass 2 (Friday): Bria Rensberger pitched a five-hitter with 15 strikeouts, and Mylee Heinzmann lashed a two-out, two-run single as the Rochester softball team beat conference and sectional rival Lewis Cass Friday to complete a perfect 9-0 run in Three Rivers Conference play.

Lewis Cass got within 4-2 in the sixth when Kaitlyn Benner scored on a wild pitch, but Rensberger whiffed Shae Dishner to retire the side.

She then got Hannah Zamora on a fly to Brailyn Hunter in right and Kami Silcox on a strikeout to start the seventh. Hannah Penn singled to bring up Emma Hildebrand, but Rensberger got Hildebrand on a grounder to Heinzmann at second to end the wire-to-wire win.

Rochester improved to 18-4 overall and 9-0 in the TRC. Rochester had already clinched the outright TRC title, but the undefeated TRC record is their first since 2013. While Rochester has had undefeated conference records before, this is the first time they have done it since the conference expanded to 10 teams in the 2015-16 school year.

In 2018, Rochester won the TRC and came into their conference finale 8-0 and lost to Manchester 6-5 at Fansler Field to prevent a perfect conference record. Rochester also went into their final conference game in 2014 with a 6-0 TRC mark and having already wrapped up the conference, but they lost their conference finale 9-8.

Lewis Cass dropped to 8-12, 4-4 with one more conference game left at Maconaquah this morning.

The teams could meet again in the Class 2A, Sectional 38 semifinals Wednesday. Rochester received a bye, and Lewis Cass will have to beat host Oak Hill Tuesday to earn their spot.

Aubrey Miller led off the game with a single off Lewis Cass starter Amma Fitzhugh and stole second and third and scored on Aubrey Wilson’s sacrifice fly.

In the fourth, Hunter and Wilson led off with back-to-back singles. Rensberger struck out. Zamora picked off Wilson on a snap throw from behind the plate. Jadyn Field singled to move Hunter to third. Field then stole second.

That brought up Heinzmann, who delivered the fourth hit of the inning, a line single to right to score Hunter and Field.

Rochester squandered a leadoff triple from Emma Mathias in the top of the fifth, and the momentum might have changed.

Rensberger faced 13 batters through four innings – just one over the minimum. She got the first two batters in the fifth but allowed a hit to Penn, who advanced to second on an outfield error. Hildebrand then singled to center to score Penn and make it 3-1.

Hunter singled, stole second, went to third on Wilson’s sacrifice bunt and scored on a wild pitch in the top of the sixth.

Rochester 4, Lewis Cass 2

Rochester 100 201 0 – 4 9 1

Lewis Cass 000 011 0 – 2 5 0

WP – Bria Rensberger (7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 15 K)

LP – Fitzhugh (7 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 9 K)

2B – Jadyn Field (RHS), Benner (LC)

3B – Emma Mathias (RHS)