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Hits go-ahead RBI double, scores after stolen base, error in 6th
BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
Tarick McGlothin wanted to get a big hit for his cousin Brayson in the crowd.
He came through for both Brayson and his Rochester baseball teammates, delivering the go-ahead RBI double as part of a three-run sixth and creating another run with his speed to lead the Zebras to a 5-4 win over Culver Academy at Bob Copeland Field on April 15.
Rochester trailed 3-2 going into the bottom of the sixth. Tim Flanagan, who had pitched
the first four innings, and Charles Boardman were working on a combined no-hitter.
Brayden Zink walked off Boardman to lead off the inning, and Landen Bumford came in to pinch-run. Bumford stole second. Hunter Campbell then floated a bunt in the air towards the first baseline. Culver Academy first baseman Evan Gerber dove for it but trapped it, and his throw to try to get Bumford at third was late for an infield single.
With Gavin Young at the plate, a Boardman breaking ball was dropped for a passed ball. Bumford, whom coach Cory Good said will “run through a wall” to help out his team, beat the throw home by an eyelash to tie the game, and Campbell advanced to second.
Campbell advanced to third on Young’s groundout to short. Colton Ferverda then struck out for the second out.
That brought up McGlothin, who noticed that Boardman was attacking hitters with a variety of breaking balls and off-speed pitches. He whacked a double to left-center to score Campbell with the go-ahead run. Then came the dance, which he and third baseman Tanner Reinartz had seen on Tik Tok and had talked about before.
“I was thinking sit back and think opposite field as you should with any type of junk,” McGlotyin said. “And also the thing I was pointing toward at was my little cousin who made me smile right before that, and I needed to give him a hit. … I’m trying to get him to baseball, and I wanted to do that for him.”
McGlothin then noticed that the Culver Academy pitchers had not thrown back to second on a pickoff attempt all game. Even though shortstop Luke Grundberg was jockeying behind him, he knew he could take a big lead.
And then he went. It’s potentially risky as making the third out at third base is usually advised against. But he stole third, and when the throw from the catcher to try and get him, perhaps rushed because of McGlothin’s big jump, sailed into left field for an error, McGlothin got up and scored to make it 5-3.
“I don’t think the catcher ever thought I would have stolen,” McGlothin said.
The insurance run became critical when Connor Schmiedlin homered off Ethan Medina to lead off the top of the seventh.
But Medina settled in and struck out Grundberg looking, got Colin Lasek on a grounder to first and struck out Magee looking to end the game.
Rochester improved to 4-0 with the win. They avenged a 22-10 loss at the Academy last year.
“They got fight,” Good said of his players. “I’ve been talking to these guys about staying hungry and not getting confident and just satisfied – keep going, keep going, keep fighting. And they showed that tonight. I sensed a little lackadaisic-ness coming and going-through-the-motions type of thing. We talked about it before the game. These guys smacked us last year 22-10. I wanted it. These guys did too though. But they came out and fought.”
Medina inherited two baserunners when he relieved starter Evan Elliott in the sixth with the Zebras leading 2-1. He would give up an RBI single to Jack Quigg to tie the game, and two batters later, he hit Gerber with a pitch with the bases loaded to give the Eagles a 3-2 lead.
But Medina then got Trey Schmuacher on a pop-up back to himself and Roman Snedeker on a foul-out to catcher Jake Seuferer to keep the deficit at one.
After Culver Academy opened the scoring on Snedeker’s RBI groundout in the top of the fifth, Rochester scored two runs in the bottom half to take a 2-1 lead. Medina drove in one run on a sacrifice fly to right field, and the second run scored when the pitcher dropped Reinartz’s pop-up right on the mound.
It was one of four Culver Academy errors on the day.
Rochester 5, Culver Academy 4
Culver Academy 000 012 1 – 4 5 4
Rochester 000 023 X – 5 2 0
WP – Ethan Medina (1 ⅔ IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 2 K)
LP – Charles Boardman (2 IP, 2 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 3 K)
2B – Evan Gerber (CMA), Tarick McGlothin (RHS)
HR – Connor Schmiedlin (CMA)
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