Zebras Edge Vikings In TRC Baseball ROCHESTER – Tippecanoe Valley’s trend of racking up offensive opportunities continued in a Three Rivers Conference high school baseball clash with Rochester.
The Vikings (7-5, 3-2) produced 15 baserunners, but 11 of those were left on base (five at second and one at third) and one was thrown out at the plate in a 5-2 loss to the Zebras (9-7, 5-1).
“We always have chances,” said Valley coach Greg Prater. “Our left-on-base percentage is terrible. I looked at that before the game. It’s something we’re working on.
“We still have some bad approaches at the plate. Two-strike encounters are not where we want to be right now. We’ve got to get better than that.”
No. 9 hitter Russ Paxton and 3-hole hitter Layne Prater picked up two hits each for Valley.
Paxton belted a two-run home run in the top of the fourth inning to account for the Vikings’ two runs batted in.
“He doesn’t want to leave that (No. 9) spot,” said Prater. “He’s hitting the ball down there.”
Valley left-hander Walter Lucas went the distance on the mound. In six innings, he effectively changed speeds, gave up six hits with six strikeouts, two walks and a hit batsman.
Rochester stranded three runners, including one at second base and one at third.
In the top of the second, Payton Mills (on base by two-base error and at third on an infield single by Jakob Jones) was cut down on a fielder’s choice — third baseman Zaine Young to catcher Trey Stesiak.
The Zebras took a 3-0 lead, tallying three runs on the same play in the second inning.
Young’s first of three hits was a double to right. With one out, Braxton McGlothin beat out an infield single. Trey Stesiak then drew a walk to load the bases.
Grant McCarter followed with a double to center to plate Young and courtesy runner Aaron Meiser. A Valley throwing error on the play allowed courtesy runner Quin Stesiak (running for Trey Stesiak) to score.
The Vikings pulled to within 3-2 on Paxton’s two-run shot over the 305-foot sign down the right field line at Bob Copeland Field. The homer came on an 0-1 pitch from Zebras right-hander McGlothin. Rochester scored one run each in the fourth and fifth frames.
In the fourth, Trey Stesiak drew a one-out walk and courtesy runner Quin Stesiak later scored on two Valley throwing miscues.
Kyle Reinhartz was hit by a pitch with one out in the Zebra fifth and later scored on Young’s infield single. The lefty swinger fisted a Lucas pitch halfway down the third base line before the ball stopped.
McGlothin pitched the first five innings for Rochester and gave up five hits, two runs and two walks with two strikeouts.
Right-hander Brock Beehler pitched a scoreless sixth while yielding one hit, walking one and striking out one.
Hard-throwing righty Brady Perez worked the Valley seventh. Wes Melanson reached on a two-base error and Tanner Trippiedi walked before Perez fanned the last two hitters of the game and finished with three punch-outs for his appearance.
“We were swinging at fastballs up in the (strike) zone and we weren’t getting anything else but fastballs,” said Prater of his team’s approach against Perez. “McGlothin’s always had a good curveball. We knew that coming in. We hit him fine. We just weren’t squaring it up.”
The Zebras won despite making six errors on defense.
“I like the way we didn’t let a bunch of errors keep compounding,” said Rochester coach Cory Good. “We came back and competed. “When we got a gift, we took advantage of it.”
Valley is at Peru Wednesday and home Friday for a makeup game against Wabash.
