Medina saves win for Reinartz, who also has 2 hits at plate
BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
Tarick McGlothin drove home Hunter Campbell with a sacrifice fly to break a tie in the bottom of the sixth inning, and Ethan Medina struck out Reece Rosen with the potential tying run in scoring position to lead the Rochester baseball team to a 4-3 win over Northfield at Bob Copeland Field Monday.
Tanner Reinartz, Jake Seuferer and Colton Ferverda had two hits each for Rochester, who improved to 11-1 overall and 4-0 in the Three Rivers Conference.
Northfield fell to 3-9, 1-3 TRC.
Rochester had 10 hits and did not strike out, but they also had three runners thrown out on the bases.
“I thought for the most part our at-bats were good,” Rochester coach Cory Good said. “We hit the ball at people a lot. … So no strikeouts is big. Putting pressure on defense, putting the ball in play, those are things we talk about a lot.”
Campbell was hit by a pitch to lead off the sixth, and he stole second and went to third on Colton Ferverda’s bunt single. Ferverda then stole second.
McGlothin’s fly ball to left was deep enough to score Campbell. Third baseman Dillon Tomlinson cut off left fielder Eli Kroh’s throw and threw back to second to catch Ferverda off the bag for a double play.
Medina came in to relieve Reinartz and allowed a single to Tomlinson and walked Brandon McKillip to start the seventh.
Jacob Snyder then bunted straight in the air right in front of home plate. Rochester catcher Jake Seuferer then dropped it but threw to Campbell at third to force Tomlinson. Campbell threw to shortstop Tarick McGlothin covering second, but McKillip was safe. Even though the home plate umpire pointed fair, Snyder did not run. McGlothin then threw to first to retire Snyder, still standing in the batter’s box, for an unusual 2-5-6-3 double play.
Medina then struck out Rosen looking, Northfield’s team leader in homers with five, on a fastball over the outside corner to end the game.
“I don’t think we would have gotten a double play if he would have caught it,” Good said of Snyder’s bunt. “You know, that’s one of those things that you just don’t know really what’s going to happen. A lot of times, you don’t field that bunt, and it’s that snowball effect you’re talking about, and errors just keep compounding. … But it worked out for us.”
Northfield senior pitcher Jaidon Truman had a two-run lead before he threw his first pitch, but the Zebras had rallied to take a 3-2 lead in the fourth.
With McGlothin on second in the first, Reinartz singled sharply to left, and when the left fielder bobbled the ball for an error, McGlothin was able to score even though he fell rounding third and had to pick himself back up.
That made it 2-1.
Rochester scored again in the third after the first two batters were retired. Evan Elliott singled and stole second and scored on Zink’s RBI single to tie it.
In the fourth, McGlothin reached on a dropped fly ball, advanced to second on Medina’s groundout to second base and scored when Reinartz singled to left.
Reinartz, a freshman who played second base in this game but who has seen more time at third base, is hitting .436 and has 13 RBIs, just one behind McGlothin’s team lead.
Reinartz said he had to make adjustments against Truman, who threw an assortment of change-ups and off-speed pitches to go with the occasional fastball.
“Personally, I think it was just you just had to be up in the box and watch the ball all the way in,” Reinartz said. “Be up and be ready for that pitch coming in.”
Zink started and threw five innings. He allowed six hits and two runs while walking none and fanning eight. He retired the final seven batters he faced, but Reinartz came in and allowed Rosen’s single and bunt singles from Bryce Smith and Ethan Bruce to load the bases with nobody out.
Dylan Osborn’s RBI sacrifice bunt tied the game and put runners on second and third, but Reinartz fanned Mason Fisher swinging and Truman looking to escape further problems.
“The moment’s just not too big for him,” Good said of Reinartz.
Said Reinartz: “We’re doing amazing, and I’m enjoying it right now.”
Rochester 4, Northfield 3
Northfield 200 001 0 – 3 10 3
Rochester 101 101 X – 4 10 0
WP – Tanner Reinartz (1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K)
LP – Jaidon Truman (6 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 0 K)
2B – Colton Ferverda (RHS)
Comments