Rochester routs Valley, LaVille, completes 4-0 week

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Mylee Heinzmann Brailyn Hunter

Though she is in her third year on the Rochester softball team, Mylee Heinzmann said she still gets nervous in clutch situations, especially with two strikes on her.

Heinzmann overcame her nerves and delivered a two-out, two-run single as part of a seven-run first inning, and that greased the skids for a 16-hit Rochester attack in a 21-3 win in five innings over Tippecanoe Valley in the first game of a three-team doubleheader at Fansler Field Friday.

Rochester then followed that win with a 15-0 win in five innings over LaVille in their second game. Brailyn Hunter and Emma Mathias highlighted that effort by pitching a combined no-hitter, and Hunter also hit a two-run homer.

The wins capped off a 4-0 week and improved Rochester’s record to 15-4.

Rochester 21, Tippecanoe Valley 3 (5 innings)

Bria Rensberger got the night off from pitching after throwing 14 innings against Maconaquah and Wabash Wednesday and Thursday, but she went 3 for 3 at the plate with an RBI against Valley, and Audrey Miller also had three hits and an RBI. Aubrey Wilson and Darah Strasser each went 2 for 2 with Strasser driving in two runs and Wilson one. Makhia Harding came off the bench to pinch-hit for Jadyn Field – Field was attending Caston’s Prom – and went 2 for 2 with two RBIs.

Mathias also had a hit and an RBI, and Gabby Medina and Jayla Miller each had a hit.

Mia Howdeshell pitched the first three innings and allowed three hits and two runs. She walked two and struck out one.

Mackaylie Costello had two hits and an RBI for Valley. Kaitlyn Threlkel and Temperance Caudill each had a hit and an RBI. Malaynie Costello and Dalynne Bussard each had a hit.

Like Rensberger, Bussard got the night off from pitching. She pitched a one-hitter with 12 strikeouts in a 4-1 win over Bremen Thursday.

Mackaylie Costello struck out Aubrey Miller to start the game, but she followed with back-to-back walks to Mathias, Wilson and Rensberger.

Field’s grounder was booted for an error, scoring Mathias and reloading the bases. Wilson then scored on a wild pitch. Hunter popped to third for the second out.

Heinzmann faced a 3-2 count against Costello but lined a two-out, two-run single to make it 4-0. 

“I was a little shaky because I was scared at that point,” Heinzmann said. “I don’t know. When I get three balls and two strikes, I’m always nervous a little bit, but I know I can do it, so I was just like, ‘You've got this.’ I talked to myself. … If it’s right down the middle, I’m taking it. It’s going.”

Said Coleman of Heinzmann’s hit: “That definitely broke it open for us.”

Heinzmann then stole second.

Howdeshell walked. Ball four was a pitch in the dirt that catcher K.C. Shriver blocked. Inexplicably, Shriver threw the ball to first base. Heinzmann never stopped running and hustled and barely beat the return throw home from Threlkel at first base to make it 5-0.

Howdeshell advanced to second on wild pitch and scored when Strasser looped an RBI single to shallow right.

Strasser then stole second and scored all the way from second on Miller’s bunt single.

Wilson and Rensberger scored on wild pitches in the second to make it 9-0.

Howdeshell stranded three on base over the first two innings, but Valley got to her in the third. Mackaylie Costello drove in a run on a grounder to third, and Threlkel later added an RBI single.

But the Rochester onslaught continued in the third: Eighteen batters batted, and 10 hit safely. Tack on two walks, two hit batters and a dropped popup, and Rochester scored 12 runs to increase the lead to 21-2.

“We continued to build off Wednesday and Thursday and then coming in today, knowing our window, knowing our zone and picking the pitch,” Rochester coach Jim Coleman said. “They struggled a bit with their control. That helped us out. But when we did swing, we made good contact. So it was good to see on our behalf. From top to bottom, I thought we swung the bat really well.”

The first four runs in the third came off Costello. The next eight came off freshman reliever Naomi Gaerte.

“Just our body language when we got off the bus,” Valley coach Brian Barger said when asked what the most disappointing aspect of the game was. “They knew Dalynne wasn’t pitching tonight. They’ve got to come ready to go to make plays. … We walked some batters, but then once you get down nine runs, I mean, the balloon deflates, and it brings down everybody. They’ve got to learn to adapt and battle back in those tough situations.”

Valley dropped to 9-7. They came into the game on a three-game winning streak.

“We’ve been playing well,” Barger said. “That’s what I was telling them. Don’t let this game affect your ultimate path. Like I said, this is a fork in the road. You can choose to go down the path of disaster, or you can veer off, and we can go back to where we were going.

“We’ve been playing decent ball. We’ve been putting runs together and getting timely hits. Tonight, you get down so much. There’s not much you can really do to manufacture runs. You’re just trying to salvage the day and move to tomorrow.”

Rochester 21, Tippecanoe Valley 3 (5 innings)

Valley 002 01 – 3 6 5

Rochester 72(12) 0X – 21 16 0

WP – Mia Howdeshell (3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 1 K)

LP – Mackaylie Costello (2 IP, 4 H, 13 R, 4 ER, 7 BB, 1 HBP, 1 K)

2B – Bria Rensberger (RHS), Makhia Harding (RHS)

Rochester 15, LaVille 0 (5 innings)

Hunter worked her way around four walks in the first three innings, and she contributed at the plate with a two-run homer in the third that made it 13-0.

Mathias pitched the fourth and fifth and walked one and struck out two.

Meanwhile, LaVille had given up double-digit runs in 16 of their previous 17 games, and it took one inning for Rochester to get into double figures in this game. The inning featured eight walks and two hit-by-pitches, and the first six runs scored on either wild pitches or passed balls.

Miller reached on an error to score a run, and Mathias had an RBI single. Miller and Wilson scored on a throwing error to make it 10-0, and the third out came on an intentional step-off.

Medina’s RBI double in the second made it 11-0. 

Rensberger led off the third with a double, and Hunter followed with her homer. A run-scoring wild pitch, and Lillee Conley’s RBI single completed the scoring.

LaVille’s pitchers walked 12 and hit four batters.

Five of the 12 outs Rochester made came on intentional step-offs.

Rochester is 11-1 in their last 12 games and have scored in double figures in six of those games.

“Now it’s more towards the end of the season, I feel like we’ve pushed ourselves more on offense, and now we’re getting the hang of it,” Heinzmann said. “We all have confidence now in the box. We all look comfortable in the box. And it looks good.”

Rochester 15, LaVille 0 (5 innings)

LaVille 000 00 – 0 0 2

Rochester (10)14 0X – 15 9 0

WP – Brailyn Hunter (3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 6 K)

LP – Willyerd (2 IP, 4 H, 11 R, 10 ER, 10 BB, 3 HBP, 0 K)

2B – Gabby Medina (RHS), Bria Rensberger (RHS)

HR – Brailyn Hunter (RHS)