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McGlothin: 3-3, HR, 2 RBIs
BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
Brayden Zink pitched two scoreless innings in relief in his 2023 mound debut, and he also had two hits and three RBIs at the plate, and fellow senior Tarick McGlothin cranked a two-run homer as the Rochester baseball team routed sectional rival Bremen 14-4 in five innings in the home finale at Bob Copeland Field on May 18.
McGlothin went 3 for 3, and Tanner Reinartz and Gavin Young joined Zink in having multi-hit games.
In addition, eight different Zebras had at least one RBI. McGlothin drove in two, and Carson Paulik, Landen Bumford, Reinartz, Ethan Medina, Luke Hunting and Hunter Campbell had one RBI each.
Rochester also stole 10 bases.
Zink took over in the top of the third with the game tied 2-2. He allowed one hit and one walk with three strikeouts. Arm pain had kept him off the mound prior to this game. He pitched 38 ⅔ innings combined in the springs of 2021 and 2022.
Good said he had been wanting to find a “good spot” for Zink to pitch. Good was hoping for warmer weather to use Zink. He said a couple opportunities over the past two weeks did not “pan out” as chances for Zink to pitch.
“Proud of him,” Rochester coach Cory Good said. “Loved to see him back out there on the mound. He’s really come on strong here this last month or so. Great night for him. Just couldn’t be more proud of him.”
Carson Paulik started and gave up Silas Laidig’s two-out, two-run homer in the first, but McGlothin led off the bottom half with a walk, and Rochester later leveled the score on Reinartz’s RBI single and Zink’s RBI groundout to second base.
Bremen starter Baylor Orcutt, a Goshen College recruit, stranded two runners in the second, but Rochester scored three in the third to take a 5-2 lead.
Reinartz led off with a double and scored on Zink’s RBI single. Zink went to second on the throw home and third on a wild pitch before scoring on Luke Hunting’s RBI single. Hunting then stole second and went to third on a wild pitch and scored on another two-out hit from Hunter Campbell.
Young led off the fourth with a walk and scored ahead of McGlothin’s two-run homer.
“I was actually not trying to hit one out,” McGlothin said. “I was trying to keep my front shoulder from opening up as that tends to be the case. But no, the home runs come from singles, and that’s all I was trying to go for – a single.”
Paulik walked and then stole second and third. Jake Seuferer then walked. Paulik later scored on Zink’s bloop single. Courtesy runner Bumford and Zink later scored when Ethan Medina reached on an error to make it 10-2.
Medina struck out three in the top of the fifth but also allowed two runs on A.J. Ton’s RBI double and Aden Hunziker’s RBI single.
Ton got the last two outs in the fourth before the Zebras got to him for four runs to close it out in the fifth.
Young doubled, went to third on McGlothin’s bunt single and scored on Paulik’s RBI single. A Reinartz sacrifice fly made it 12-4. Paulik moved from second to third on Bumford’s double. Medina’s RBI grounder to second made it 13-4 and moved Bumford to third. Bumford’s headfirst slide home on a wild pitch ended the night.
“We tried to learn what we could,” Good said of facing a potential sectional opponent. “I think they tried to hide some things from us a little bit. We saw Orcutt, who’s maybe their three (number three pitcher). We didn’t see (Evan) Lopez or Laidig. But I think every team tries to come into this game and not show everything. Don’t tip anything off. I think they’re going to be a tough out in the sectional. But if we see them again, we’ll have some intel on them and be ready to go. But they play in a tough conference and against really good competition. We’ll see what they can do.”
Rochester won their third straight game after a one-run loss to Fairfield five days earlier. They clinched the TRC with a 3-2 win over Peru on Seuferer’s walk-off RBI double on May 15 and clinched a perfect 9-0 TRC record with a 7-6 win over North Miami on May 17.
“This week I would describe as a really good week because it was our final week, and it’s been long for us, and we’ve got two more games on Saturday (at the Twin Lakes Invitational),” McGlothin said. “So I think this week has been very beneficial because it’s more of the mental than the physical aspect. … In my opinion, this team is capable of a state championship. If we play to our ability with good attitudes all around and we play together as a team, we are capable of a state championship.”
Bremen would win the rematch 6-2 in the Class 2A, Sectional 36 final at Wabash on May 29.
Rochester 14, Bremen 4 (5 innings)
Bremen 200 02 – 4 6 2
Rochester 203 54 – 14 13 0
WP – Brayden Zink (2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K)
LP – Baylor Orcutt (3 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 3 K)
2B – A.J. Ton (BRE), Tanner Reinartz (RHS), Gavin Young (RHS), Jake Seuferer (RHS)
HR – Silas Laidig (BRE), Tarick McGlothin (RHS)
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