Rensberger homers, retires all 13 batters she faces in win over Twin Lakes

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Bria Rensberger

Rochester sophomore Bria Rensberger returned to the circle to save her own win as the Lady Z softball team beat visiting Twin Lakes 7-5 at Fansler Field Friday.

Rochester built a 7-0 lead after five innings and held on after Twin Lakes got the tying run to the plate in the seventh.

Rensberger started and retired the first 12 batters, including 10 consecutive strikeouts to start the game. After Brailyn Hunter allowed five runs in 2 ⅔ innings, Rensberger returned to strike out Leah Shrock with a runner on second to end the game.

Rensberger also hit a two-run homer as part of a three-hit night. She and Aubrey Wilson had three RBIs each, and Jadyn Field had a single and an RBI. 

Wilson and Gabby Medina had two hits each, and Aubrey Miller and Emma Mathias also had a hit.

“Jadyn came in red hot, and Wilson continues to hit the ball really well, and it was good to see Bria making good contact tonight,” Rochester coach Jim Coleman said. “She’s been hitting it hard but just out early, and she did a great job waiting back and really hitting the ball hard. … Our 3-4-5 are really doing the damage for us.”

Rochester won their fourth straight game to improve to 8-3. Twin Lakes fell to 3-8.

Miller led off with an infield single, and she stole second and third before scoring on Wilson’s groundout to first base.

Rensberger then singled. Courtesy runner Audrey Widman stole second and scored on Field’s RBI single.

Mathias led off the third with a double, and she scored on Wilson’s RBI single. Rensberger then blasted a two-run homer to left-center to increase the lead to five.

Wilson’s RBI double and Rensberger’s RBI single in the fourth upped the lead to 7-0.

Meanwhile, Rensberger tore through the Twin Lakes lineup. Shrock was the first Twin Lakes batter to put the ball in play on a groundout to short for the second out in the fourth.

Hunter inherited the perfect game to start the fifth and walked Quinn Gilford but retired the next three batters and stranded Gilford at third. 

Two walks, an error, a wild pitch and an RBI groundout cut the lead to 7-2, but Rochester still had the combined no-hitter going into the seventh.

Hunter fanned Megan Rodzewicz looking to start the seventh, but Lanna Hayden broke up the no-hit bid with a single, and she advanced to second on an error. Jasmine West’s RBI single scored Hayden to make it 7-3, and West advanced to second on another outfield error.

Myley Spriggs singled, advancing West to third.

Taylor Oliver’s RBI groundout to Gabby Medina at third made it 7-4 and pushed Spriggs to second.

Miya Clerget’s RBI double then made it 7-5, and Rensberger returned to pitch.

“I think she’s finally getting back into the groove,” Coleman said of Rensberger, noting that she missed a little over a week after suffering a finger injury while batting against Winamac April 15. “She did struggle early. Some of that, she was overthrowing. Once she started to stay inside of herself and relax a little bit more, she’s getting more movement on her pitches, and her control has been so much better this past week. We just need to find somebody after Bria. But she’s had a stellar week for us.”

Rochester 7, Twin Lakes 5

Twin Lakes 000 002 3 – 5 4 3

Rochester 203 200 X – 7 10 3

WP – Bria Rensberger (4 ⅓ IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 11 K)

LP – Madalyn Bird (2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 2 K)

2B – Miya Clerget (TL), Emma Mathias (RHS), Aubrey Wilson (RHS)

HR – Bria Rensberger (RHS)