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BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
Rochester senior Kyle Reinartz had more hits as a hitter than he allowed as a pitcher against visiting LaVille at Bob Copeland Field Friday.
That might be considered a good omen.
Another good omen is when the opponent commits eight errors. As it turned out, both happened, and it led to good results as the Zebras beat the Lancers 11-2 to improve to 3-0.
LaVille scored both of their runs in the first off Reinartz, but they didn’t get their first hit until Jayden Laurence’s one-out single in the fifth off reliever Brayden Zink.
By then, RHS was ahead 10-2, and the only question was whether RHS would get their second combined no-hitter in as many games.
Evan Elliott and Brock Beehler combined to no-hit Delphi in a 2-1 win on Tuesday. This time, Reinartz, Zink and Tarick McGlothin combined on a four-hitter.
Offensively, Ethan Medina had three hits and scored twice, and Evan Elliott had two hits, two RBIs and a run scored.
“He started finishing, he started competing, he started getting a little more confidence in himself,” Rochester coach Cory Good said of Reinartz. “He made a little close adjustment, just closing up a little bit when he was finishing (his pitches), but you know, it was his first time out on the mound in a long time. We can throw bullpens all day long, but until you step out on the mound and you face live batters, it’s a whole new ballgame. So he just competed really.”
Reinartz reached base all four times up. He singled, walked and was hit by a pitch twice.
The game featured 14 combined walks.
LaVille’s runs came in the first. Eight batters batted, but none put the ball in play – five walks and three strikeouts. Andrew Dill scored on a Reinartz balk with the bases loaded, and Ayden Doyle later walked with the bases loaded to force home the second run.
Rochester countered with four runs in the bottom of the first off LaVille starter Dill, and they scored six more times in the third. Reinartz scored the game’s final run in the sixth on a LaVille throwing error.
McGlothin opened the bottom of the first with a walk and went to third on a Medina double. Elliott’s sacrifice fly to center cut the deficit to 2-1. Brock Beehler reached on an error by the third baseman as Medina held at second. Reinartz was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Quin Stesiak then tied the game with the second sacrifice fly of the inning.
Grant McCarter’s pop-up to short was dropped for an error to score Beehler to make it 3-2. Kane Lutz’s bases loaded walk brought home Reinartz to increase the lead to 4-2.
The six-run third started with Dill walking McCarter and Jake Seuferer consecutively. They pulled off a double steal, and when the throw to try and get McCarter at third was wild and went into left field, McCarter scored, and Seuferer reached third.
McGlothin’s RBI single scored Seuferer to make it 6-2. Medina’s hit-and-run single in the left-side hole moved McGlothin to third.
Elliott’s RBI single made it 7-2 and moved Medina to third. Elliott then stole second.
Then Reinartz drilled a two-run single to score Medina and Elliott to make it 9-2. Reinartz advanced to second when the throw to try and get Elliott at the plate was wild and went to the backstop.
Stesiak’s fly ball to right field was then dropped for an error, which allowed Reinartz to score.
“All I want us to do is put the ball in play,” Good said when asked how LaVille’s errors affected the game. “That’s all I’m asking of these guys. We’ve got to cut down the strikeouts, put the ball in play and put the pressure on the defense. And that’s what we’ve started to do here.”
Meanwhile, Reinartz responded after Good visited the mound in the first inning. While he walked seven, the senior southpaw also struck out seven. He retired 10 of the last 12 batters he faced.
He said he didn’t know that he had a no-hitter when he was taken out.
“I was in my groove, I guess,” Reinartz said.
Reinartz said he needed to close his hips on his delivery. But he also said he needed to relax and “be comfortable.”
Reinartz plays for the Attack, a travel baseball organization based out of Warsaw. Beehler is also his travel ball teammate.
Reinartz said he plays more baseball during the summers than he does basketball. Given that Reinartz was the RTC player of the year in basketball, that might be considered noteworthy. In fact, he said he enjoys baseball “a lot more.”
“It’s not like I took a year off of baseball,” Reinartz said. “My arm wasn’t completely shot when I started the season. I was kind of in shape, so I wasn’t so far behind like I would have been everyone else.”
Said Good: “We’re going to count on Kyle a ton this year. He’s a huge part of this team.”
Reinartz said he thinks the team possesses baseball smarts.
“We have a lot of baseball IQ, I feel like,” Reinartz said. “Just knowledge of baseball all the way around. I don’t think there’s a weak link on our baseball team. We’re really strong, I feel like – defensively and offensively.”
Rochester 11, LaVille 2
LaVille 200 000 0 – 2 4 8
Rochester 406 001 X – 11 8 1
WP – Kyle Reinartz (4+ IP, 0 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 7 BB, 7 K)
LP – Andrew Dill (2 ⅓ IP, 3 H, 7 R, 3 ER, 6 BB, 1 HBP, 2 K)
2B – Ethan Medina (RHS)
Ethan Medina
Rochester freshman catcher Jake Seuferer makes contact during an 11-2 win over LaVille at Bob Copeland Field Friday. Seuferer went 0 for 2 with two walks. Rochester is 3-0. (photo provided by Paula Beehler)
Game link Rochester Varsity Baseball vs LaVille 4-9-2021
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