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Huffman tosses 3-hitter in sectional preview
BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
NORTH MANCHESTER — Tanner Reinartz had five hits and five RBIs, and Ethan Medina homered and drove in four runs as part of a 22-hit attack as the Rochester baseball team routed host Manchester 20-0 in five innings in a sectional preview Wednesday.
Aaron Huffman pitched a three-hitter with six strikeouts on the mound as Rochester improved to 12-3 overall and 4-0 in the Three Rivers Conference.
Manchester, who has no seniors, fell to 7-8, 2-2.
The teams will meet again in a Class 2A, Sectional 36 semifinal at Wabash on May 27.
Ten different Rochester players drove in a run, and ten different players scored a run.
Carson Paulik went 3 for 3 with two singles, a double, a walk, a hit-by-pitch, two RBIs and five runs scored. Luke Hunting had three hits and two RBIs. Medina, Tarick McGlothin, Hunter Campbell and Gavin Young had two hits each. Jake Seuferer, Brayden Zink and Colton Ferverda had one hit each.
This game was unlike Rochester’s last two trips to Manchester, an extra-inning win highlighted by Brady Perez’s two homers in 2019 and a win despite trailing with two outs in the seventh inning highlighted by Brock Beehler’s two-run double in 2021. It also avenged a home loss to Manchester in 2022.
“It didn’t,” Rochester coach Cory Good said when asked how drawing Manchester for the sectional affected the way they approached this game. “We just wanted to come in and make a statement. We put some runs across the board, played good defense, threw the ball. We did all those things today. It didn’t change our plan at all. This was what we had scripted for this game, from last week.”
The Zebras gave Huffman a five-run lead before he threw his first pitch, and Rochester added five more in the second, one in the third, three in the fourth and six in the fifth.
Huffman had a unique, if not so troubling, issue: Rochester spent so much time hitting in this game that Good worried that it would keep him out of rhythm. Huffman was flexed out of the lineup, which means he did not hit in this game.
“He was efficient,” Good said. “I’d like to see him work ahead a little bit more. I think he can try to find some filler time when we’re out on long innings like that. It’s tough to just stand or sit for I don’t know how long they were and just kind of see what happens.”
Manchester pitchers Gavin Martin and Peyton Jones combined to only walk one, but the Squires committed seven errors that led to 12 unearned runs.
Rochester was playing for the first time in a week. Games scheduled against Carroll (Flora) and Northfield have been rained out since. The Carroll game has not yet been rescheduled, and the Northfield game will be played on the road at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
Good said he would love to play Carroll at some point, but a makeup date is to be determined.
The team had indoor practices Friday, Monday and Tuesday and an outdoor practice prior to the prom Saturday.
“It’s been seven days since we played a baseball game, so it feels like an eternity right now,” Good said.
In other TRC games Wednesday, Whitko improved to 3-1 in the conference with a 9-6 win over Tippecanoe Valley. Wabash also improved to 3-1 after beating Maconaquah 6-4.
Whitko’s lone conference loss was to Rochester. The Zebras travel to Wabash on Monday.
Rochester 20, Manchester 0 (5 innings)
Rochester 551 36 – 20 22 1
Manchester 000 00 – 0 3 7
WP – Aaron Huffman (5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K)
LP – Gavin Martin (4 IP, 18 H, 14 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 3 K)
2B – Hunter Campbell (RHS), Tarick McGlothin (RHS), Carson Paulik (RHS), Gavin Martin (MAN)
HR – Ethan Medina (RHS)
