Paulik strikes out 13, helps Zebras scratch out win over Delphi

Ferverda delivers crucial RBI single

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Carson Paulik Callen Ferverda

The Rochester baseball team lost to Delphi in a Class 2A regional in 2021, and they seemingly have been on one long revenge tour since.

Carson Paulik pitched a four-hitter with one walk and 13 strikeouts, and fellow senior Callen Ferverda delivered a two-out RBI single as part of a two-run second inning as the Zebras beat Delphi 3-1 at Bob Copeland Field Monday.

Brant Beck and Zakk Parks added two hits each for Rochester, who won their third straight game to improve to 5-5. Braylon Smith also had a hit.

Delphi came in with a .323 team batting average and a .974 team OPS, and they strike out fewer than six times per game. But Paulik neutralized the top four hitters in the Delphi lineup to a combined 1 for 10.

“He was really good,” Rochester coach Cory Good said. “He was not real effective. … We felt like he was just rushing through the delivery a little bit when he wasn’t finding strikes, but 13 strikeouts and got him to go the distance against a good Delphi team… That’s kind of what we’ve learned to come to expect from Paulik on the mound – a lot of strikes. … We decided to stretch him out a little bit on a chilly night like tonight, but he did very well.”

Rochester lost to Delphi 12-5 in the aforementioned 2021 regional, but they are 4-0 against them since. They did not play each other in 2025.

Delphi had runners on first and third with two outs in the sixth, but Paulik struck out Cason Mills to end that threat, and he then retired the side in order in the seventh to close it out.

Brett Huffman, a left-hand hitting center fielder who came in with a 1.652 OPS and who drove in Delphi’s only run with a double in the fifth, struck out to end it.

Every Delphi starter struck out at least once except for No. 3 hitter Levi Coghill, and Coghill went hitless and did not hit the ball out of the infield.

Paulik was consistently challenging Delphi hitters with fastballs.

“I just try to fill up the zone as much as I can,” Paulik said. “The strikeouts will come with that obviously. When you fill up the zone as efficiently as I did I feel like tonight, then you’re going to get those strikeouts to come.”

Oracle sophomore hurler Damian Brisenio retired the side in order in the first, but Beck led off the second with a single. He stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a balk.

It marked the second straight game Rochester scored on a balk. It also happened in a 4-1 win over Culver Academy Friday.

Two batters later, Parks singled and moved to second on a wild pickoff throw. He stole third and stayed there when Smith struck out.

But Ferverda attacked the first pitch and dumped a single into right-center to bring home Parks.

“He’s big,” Good said of Ferverda. “He just gets it done. He’s really embraced just getting up there and having a great at-bat, and that’s what he’s done. … He’s been big. He’s an energy guy. He keeps the dugout going. Callen does a lot of things for this baseball team that people don’t see from the stat sheet.”

Paulik was in charge from there. He fanned Keygan Elliott with a runner on third to end the third.

Paulik paid for his only walk. Brisenio earned the pass to lead off the fifth. He stole second and scored when Huffman cranked a double to deep left-center.

Huffman stole third. Parks’ throw got a few feet away from Linden Wilburn at third. Huffman got up and tried to score, but Wilburn retrieved the ball and gunned down Huffman at the plate and preserve the lead. Paulik then fanned Xaine Tessier to retire the side.

“My four-seam (fastball) had a lot of life tonight and had a lot of carry into the zone, so I think that’s why we saw a lot of swings and misses on that tonight, and I executed the high fastball pretty well tonight,” Paulik said.

The bottom of the fifth began with Brisenior retiring Brady Coleman on a fly to center and Parker Casper on a comebacker.

Brisenio walked four in the first four innings, but none of the walks came around to score. That changed in the fifth when Paulik walked with two outs. Trenton Meadows entered as a courtesy runner, and Beck doubled off reliever Jax Fassnacht to move him to third. Meadows then scored on a wild pitch.

Rochester 3, Delphi 1

Delphi 000 010 0 – 1 4 0

Rochester 020 010 X – 3 6 1

WP – Carson Paulik (7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 13 K)

LP – Damian Brisenio (4 ⅔ IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 1 K)

2B – Brett Huffman (DEL), Noah Hutsell (DEL), Brant Beck (RHS)