Rensberger fires 3-hitter, Hunter goes 3 for 3 in Lady Zs’ win over Northfield

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Bria Rensberger Brailyn Hunter

Bria Rensberger pitched a three-hit shutout with eight strikeouts, and Brailyn Hunter went 3 for 3 at the plate to lead the Rochester softball team to a 5-0 win over visiting Northfield at Fansler Field Tuesday.

Rensberger, Ali Field and Aubrey Wilson each added a single and an RBI at the plate, and Kyleigh Little also had an RBI out of the No. 9 spot in the batting order.

Aubrey Miller, Adalyn Gonzalez and Mylee Heinzmann also had singles.

Rochester was facing a lefty in sophomore Kaylee Dennis. She allowed nine hits and a walk while striking out three, but a three-run Lady Z first inning proved to be decisive.

Wilson drove in the first run with an RBI infield single that scored Gonzalez all the way from second.

Rensberger’s RBI infield single on a short pop fly that eluded a lunging Dennis made it 2-0. Courtesy runner Emma Mathias stole second and then scored on Field’s RBI single.

Rensberger allowed back-to-back singles to Tenley Kuhn and Ali Copeland with two outs in the third before getting Carlee Delgado on a grounder to third with first baseman Jadyn Field taking contact while hanging onto Gabby Medina’s high throw.

Rensberger then retired 13 of the final 14 batters she faced, and Northfield never got another runner in scoring position after the third.

“Bria worked ahead all game,” Rochester coach Jim Coleman said. “She really looked strong today. Looking at Roncalli from Friday night (a 14-0 loss), I thought she built off that and really threw her best game tonight.”

Gonzalez was hit by a pitch, advanced to second and third on a pair of passed balls and scored on an error in the third to make it 4-0.

Hunter led off the sixth with a double, advanced to third on Heinzmann’s groundout and scored on Little’s squeeze bunt.

“We hit really well tonight,” Coleman said. “Jadyn Field hit three on the screws – nothing to show for it. Aubrey Wilson hit two on the screws – nothing to show for it. We talked after the game that we probably hit the ball harder tonight than we have all season, yet we didn’t have too many hits. Northfield’s defense was outstanding. They have come a long, long way since last season. The lefty in the circle for them did a nice job. … She kept us off-balance a little bit, but I felt that we really hit the ball very well, and our defense was the best that we’ve had all season.”

Lady Z notes

• Junior catcher-first baseman Makhia Harding had surgery Monday in what Coleman described as the “throat area.” Coleman said she will be out “a couple weeks.”

• Gonzalez was back in the starting lineup against Northfield after sitting against Kokomo Saturday with a sore arm after being hit by a pitch. Gonzalez wore an elbow guard against Northfield, and it proved handy after being hit by two more pitches.

• “We’re fighting some illness,” Coleman said. “Two or three girls are fighting a little bit of a cold. So outside of that, I would say we’re healthy, as long as we can get over the illness and not have it spread through the team.”

• Coleman said the coaching staff spent four hours preparing the field for play. The game was scheduled for Monday but postponed 24 hours, and more heavy rains hit the area overnight.

Rochester 5, Northfield 0

Northfield 000 000 0 – 0 3 1

Rochester 301 001 X – 5 9 0

WP – Bria Rensberger (7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K)

LP – Kaylee Dennis (6 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K)

2B – Brailyn Hunter (RHS)