Rochester baseball roundup: Zebras drop to No. 6 in poll

Val T.
1 day ago
3 min read

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Callen Ferverda Trenton Meadows

Rochester has dropped from No. 4 to No. 6 in this week’s Class 2A coaches poll after going 2-3 last week. Rochester opened the week with an 8-1 win over Peru, but consecutive losses to Northwestern, Logansport and Twin Lakes followed. Rochester salvaged the week with a win over Elwood by 10-run rule at the Twin Lakes Invitational.

Sectional rival Eastern (Greentown), whom Rochester beat in the Howard County Invitational championship game at Eastern April 12, is ranked No. 4.

The three-game losing streak was Rochester’s first since 2022.

Rochester then defeated Whitko 13-3 in five innings Monday to improve to 18-5 overall and 6-2 in the Three Rivers Conference.

Rochester at LaVille, canceled

The Rochester-LaVille baseball game scheduled for Tuesday was canceled due to rain. Rochester will next play at Lewis Cass at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Rochester will clinch a share of the TRC title with a win.

Rochester goes 1-1 at Twin Lakes Invitational

Rochester went 1-1 at the Twin Lakes Invitational Saturday, losing to Twin Lakes 9-8 in eight innings before beating Elwood 15-2 in five innings.

The Class 2A, No. 4 Zebras snapped their first three-game losing streak since 2022 with the win over Elwood and took a 17-5 record into the final week of the regular season.

In the Elwood game, Drew Bowers had an inside-the-park homer and a single and drove in three runs, and Parker Casper had three hits and three RBIs. Zakk Parks added a double and a triple and three RBIs.

Brant Beck had two hits and three runs scored, and Conner Dunfee had a single and two RBIs. Brady Coleman had a double, and Linden Wilburn had a single.

Casper pitched three scoreless innings for the win. He allowed one hit and one walk and struck out three. Bowers pitched a hitless fourth but allowed two runs. Parks pitched a hitless fifth with one walk and one strikeout.

Rochester scored three runs in the first and nine more in the second to build a 12-0 lead.

Elwood committed six errors while Rochester had none.

In the Twin Lakes game, Rochester trailed 8-5 after five innings but scored one in the sixth and two in the seventh on Callen Ferverda’s game-tying, two-out, two-run single.

However, the game ended when Casper hit Tate Goyer with a pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth.

Beck singled twice and doubled and had two RBIs to spearhead a 13-hit Zebra attack. Trenton Meadows had two hits and two RBIs, and Coleman also had two hits and three runs scored.

Casper and Ferverda each had a hit and two RBIs, and Parks, Dunfee and Wilburn each had a hit and a walk. Bowers had a hit and a run scored.

Coleman started and allowed four runs in the first inning. He allowed three hits and a walk and did not strike out a hitter. Dunfee relieved and allowed seven hits and four runs (all earned) over five innings. He walked two and struck out five. Casper pitched one inning and allowed two hits and one unearned run.

Rochester pitchers combined to walk four and hit three batters.

Tanner Reinartz and Carson Paulik missed both Twin Lakes Invitational games. Reinartz was ill, and Paulik had a knee injury.

Rochester was the visiting team against Twin Lakes and the home team against Elwood.

In the third game of the day, Twin Lakes scored in the bottom of the seventh to edge Elwood 5-4.

Twin Lakes 9, Rochester 8 (8 innings)

Rochester 131 001 20 – 8 13 2

Twin Lakes 411 020 01 – 9 12 1

WP – Wagner (3 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K)

LP – Parker Casper (1+ IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 0 K)

2B – Trenton Meadows (RHS), Brant Beck (RHS), Conner Dunfee (RHS), Linden Wilburn (RHS), Goyer 2 (TL), Brummett (TL)

Rochester 15, Elwood 2 (5 innings)

Elwood 000 20 – 2 1 6