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Zebras commit 7 errors, give up 10 unearned runs
BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
Jake Seuferer Kaleb Lutz
The Rochester baseball team celebrated its seniors, their winning legacy and their tight bond before their home game against Warsaw at Bob Copeland Field Saturday.
As for the game itself, it was not indicative of the last four years defensively.
The Zebras committed seven errors that led to 10 unearned runs as Warsaw won 18-8 in six innings.
Grant Nelson doubled, walked twice, drove in three runs and scored three times for the Tigers, who improved to 14-5. Cohen Heady went 3 for 3 with four RBIs. Kellan Bailey had two singles and a double and drove in two runs.
Jake Seuferer and Kaleb Lutz had two RBIs each for Rochester, who dropped to 11-6. Colton Ferverda had an RBI single.
Tanner Reinartz, Gavin Young and Brant Beck had one hit each.
Brant Beck took the loss, allowing 10 hits and 10 runs (eight earned) in three innings. He walked two and struck out one.
Parker Casper allowed four unearned runs in two innings, and Gavin Young allowed four unearned runs in the sixth.
Five of the errors came from infielders, one came on a drop in right field and one came on a wild throw from the catcher.
“We had quite a few defensive miscues today, not only errors but bunt defense, cut work, the right guys being in the right spot,” Rochester coach Cory Good said. “So that definitely attributed to the 18 runs that Warsaw scored today. I thought our pitchers threw strikes well. I thought we pitched to contact. We just didn't have good defense today, and that was a big factor in the game.”
Trailing 4-0 in the bottom of the first inning, Rochester tied the game on Seuferer’s two-run single through the hole on the left side, a run-scoring wild pitch from T.J. Edwards that allowed Reinartz to score and an RBI single from Lutz, a senior starting in his final home game.
Warsaw scored twice in the second and four more runs in the third to go up 10-4, but Ferverda singled in a run to make it 10-5. Lutz added another RBI hit to score Young, but Ferverda was thrown out at the plate.
Brady Coleman then reached when his ground ball to shortstop resulted in a throwing error. Brady Beck and Lutz scored, but Coleman was out trying to reach second on the play.
“I thought we did really well at the plate today,” Good said. “Keeping pressure, kept fighting. You give up four in the first against a 4A school like this, and some teams just give up and pack it in. And we didn’t do that. I thought we kept competing. We lost our cool a little bit in the top of the sixth, but for the most part today, I thought we had some good fight.”
Warsaw has become somewhat of a friendly baseball rivalry in recent years due to the proliferation of travel ball. Many Zebras play for Warsaw-based teams during the summer.
“There's a good group of guys,” Good said. “I think this might be the fourth year we’ve played them, and that’s really kind of why we started is just due to some relationships. (Rochester assistant) coach (Jeff) Himes is a Warsaw grad and has some connections there, so we’ve stayed kind of close with their staff, and these guys have some friends out there too, so it’s fun.”
The seven honored seniors included Ferverda, Lutz, Seuferer, Young, Brady Beck, Wes Steininger and Mike Sterner.
This group is the first to have four consecutive winning seasons in a four-year period since the Class of 2014.
Warsaw 18, Rochester 8 (6 innings)
Warsaw 424 044 – 18 16 3
Rochester 404 000 – 8 7 7
WP – Brock Bowser (2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K)
LP – Brant Beck (3 IP, 10 H, 10 R, 8 ER, 2 BB, 1 K)
2B – Grant Nelson (WAR), Kellan Bailey (WAR), Austin Polk (WAR), Cohen Heady 2 (WAR), Tanner Reinartz (RHS)
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