Whitko Falls In Sectional 8-0

July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.

By DALE HUBLER, Times-Union Sports Writer-

PLYMOUTH - What goes around comes around.

In the case of Whitko's varsity baseball team, it came back two- fold.

Avenging a 4-0 regular-season loss, Rochester topped its Three Rivers Conference rival 8-0 Monday in the first round of the Plymouth Sectional. Rochester is now 20-7, while Whitko ends its season at 11-10.

"A lot of people predicted us to finish last in the TRC," Whitko coach John Strayer said. "I kind of think the first time Rochester wasn't totally prepared, and Alan Robbins pitched well that day for us. This time they were ready for us. (Bryan) Holcomb did a good job keeping us off balance."

Holcomb, a right-handed senior, didn't overpower Whitko, but what he did was toss a three-hitter with two walks and eight strikeouts to up his record on the mound to 9-3.

"Holcomb made us hit the ball on the ground," Strayer said. "He did a good job. We made some errors, and some key walks cost us."

Monday's game saw nine errors, seven of them were charged to the Wildcats. This came after a Mishawaka Marian/Tippecanoe Valley game that saw 10 errors.

Rochester will play Marian, who topped Valley 5-4 in Monday's first game, Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Plymouth and Culver Military will follow, with the championship game to be played Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Whitko pitcher Jason Ewell retired the first two Zebra batters to start the game, but Kyle Surface singled and then scored on a double by cleanup hitter Kyle Waltz. Waltz also scored in the inning and Rochester led 2-0 after one.

Ewell walked right fielder Marcus Miller to start the third, and then hit two of the next three batters and was replaced by Robbins.

Ewell went 2 1/3 innings, picking up the loss. He gave up three hits, five runs, one walk and struck out two.

Seven Zebra hitters batted in the third inning, three of them scored. Only one of them got a hit.

Rochester finished the game with eight hits, led by center fielder B.J. Swank's 2-for-3 performance.

Senior Josh Hoffman pounded out two of Whitko's three hits. Left fielder Blake Hike connected for the other.

Leading 5-0 after three complete innings, Rochester tacked three more runs on the board in the fifth. Eight Zebra batters made their way to the plate in the inning, none of them recorded hits. Two were walked, three hit into a fielder's choice, two walked, one was hit by a pitch, one struck out, and one grounded out.

ROCHESTER 8, WHITKO 0

Rochester ab r h rbi

Frounfelter lf 3 1 1 0

Miller rf 2 2 0 0

K. Surface ss 3 2 1 1

Waltz 1b 3 2 1 1

McLochlin c 1 0 0 0

Patterson 2b 2 0 1 2

Holcomb p 2 0 1 1

Swank cf 3 0 2 0

Rohm 3b 1 1 0 0

Mulligan 3b 1 0 0 0

Conley ph 1 0 1 0

Totals 22 8 8 5

Whitko ab r h rbi

Robbins ss 3 0 0 0

Feldman 1b 2 0 0 0

Lukens 3b 1 0 0 0

Kellogg c 3 0 0 0

Hoffman cf 3 0 2 0

Ewell p 2 0 0 0

Langohr rf 2 0 0 0

Hike lf 2 0 1 0

Vandewalle pr 0 0 0 0

Boardman ph 1 0 0 0

Protzman ph 1 0 0 0

Totals 20 0 3 0

Rochester (20-7) 203 300 0 - 8 8 2

Whitko (11-10) 000 000 0 - 0 3 7

2B - Waltz, Swank. E - Patterson (3), K. Surface (2), Frounfelter (2), Lukens, Robbins.

IP H R BB SO

Rochester

Holcomb (W) 7 3 0 2 4

Whitko

Ewell (L) 2 1/3 3 5 1 2

Robbins 4 2/3 5 3 3 5 [[In-content Ad]]

PLYMOUTH - What goes around comes around.

In the case of Whitko's varsity baseball team, it came back two- fold.

Avenging a 4-0 regular-season loss, Rochester topped its Three Rivers Conference rival 8-0 Monday in the first round of the Plymouth Sectional. Rochester is now 20-7, while Whitko ends its season at 11-10.

"A lot of people predicted us to finish last in the TRC," Whitko coach John Strayer said. "I kind of think the first time Rochester wasn't totally prepared, and Alan Robbins pitched well that day for us. This time they were ready for us. (Bryan) Holcomb did a good job keeping us off balance."

Holcomb, a right-handed senior, didn't overpower Whitko, but what he did was toss a three-hitter with two walks and eight strikeouts to up his record on the mound to 9-3.

"Holcomb made us hit the ball on the ground," Strayer said. "He did a good job. We made some errors, and some key walks cost us."

Monday's game saw nine errors, seven of them were charged to the Wildcats. This came after a Mishawaka Marian/Tippecanoe Valley game that saw 10 errors.

Rochester will play Marian, who topped Valley 5-4 in Monday's first game, Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Plymouth and Culver Military will follow, with the championship game to be played Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Whitko pitcher Jason Ewell retired the first two Zebra batters to start the game, but Kyle Surface singled and then scored on a double by cleanup hitter Kyle Waltz. Waltz also scored in the inning and Rochester led 2-0 after one.

Ewell walked right fielder Marcus Miller to start the third, and then hit two of the next three batters and was replaced by Robbins.

Ewell went 2 1/3 innings, picking up the loss. He gave up three hits, five runs, one walk and struck out two.

Seven Zebra hitters batted in the third inning, three of them scored. Only one of them got a hit.

Rochester finished the game with eight hits, led by center fielder B.J. Swank's 2-for-3 performance.

Senior Josh Hoffman pounded out two of Whitko's three hits. Left fielder Blake Hike connected for the other.

Leading 5-0 after three complete innings, Rochester tacked three more runs on the board in the fifth. Eight Zebra batters made their way to the plate in the inning, none of them recorded hits. Two were walked, three hit into a fielder's choice, two walked, one was hit by a pitch, one struck out, and one grounded out.

ROCHESTER 8, WHITKO 0

Rochester ab r h rbi

Frounfelter lf 3 1 1 0

Miller rf 2 2 0 0

K. Surface ss 3 2 1 1

Waltz 1b 3 2 1 1

McLochlin c 1 0 0 0

Patterson 2b 2 0 1 2

Holcomb p 2 0 1 1

Swank cf 3 0 2 0

Rohm 3b 1 1 0 0

Mulligan 3b 1 0 0 0

Conley ph 1 0 1 0

Totals 22 8 8 5

Whitko ab r h rbi

Robbins ss 3 0 0 0

Feldman 1b 2 0 0 0

Lukens 3b 1 0 0 0

Kellogg c 3 0 0 0

Hoffman cf 3 0 2 0

Ewell p 2 0 0 0

Langohr rf 2 0 0 0

Hike lf 2 0 1 0

Vandewalle pr 0 0 0 0

Boardman ph 1 0 0 0

Protzman ph 1 0 0 0

Totals 20 0 3 0

Rochester (20-7) 203 300 0 - 8 8 2

Whitko (11-10) 000 000 0 - 0 3 7

2B - Waltz, Swank. E - Patterson (3), K. Surface (2), Frounfelter (2), Lukens, Robbins.

IP H R BB SO

Rochester

Holcomb (W) 7 3 0 2 4

Whitko

Ewell (L) 2 1/3 3 5 1 2

Robbins 4 2/3 5 3 3 5 [[In-content Ad]]

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