9-10 All-Stars battle back at state tournament

Rochelle boys medal in fourth place

Russell Hodges
Posted 8/1/17

The Rochelle Little League 9-10 All-Stars may have dropped their first game of the 2017 Illinois Little League State Championship, but that didn’t prevent the boys from fighting back in the losers bracket to take fourth place in the tournament.

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

9-10 All-Stars battle back at state tournament

Rochelle boys medal in fourth place

Posted

SALEM — The Rochelle Little League 9-10 All-Stars may have dropped their first game of the 2017 Illinois Little League State Championship, but that didn’t prevent the boys from fighting back in the losers bracket to take fourth place in the tournament.

Rochelle began its state journey this past Saturday, with the 9-10 All-Stars falling to Hinsdale by a score of 15-3. The loss sent Rochelle into the losers bracket, but the boys rebounded with a 7-4 victory over Macomb on Sunday and a 17-13 win over Paris on Monday. Rochelle battled Riverside on Tuesday to keep its postseason hopes alive, but Riverside emerged victorious by a score of 12-2.

“We just ran out of pitching,” head coach Henry Bunger said. “I couldn’t be more proud of the way our boys played.”

Hinsdale

Kaiden Morris led the Rochelle offense against Hinsdale this past Saturday, going 2-for-3 with a team-high two RBIs. Elijah Harley and Brode Metzger each recorded hits in the loss, while three 9-10 All-Stars scored one run including Harley, Brandyn Metzger and Brode Metzger. Rochelle trailed 9-3 after five innings before Hinsdale scored six runs in the top of the sixth to take control of the game.

Macomb

Carson Lewis and Xavier Villalobos ignited the Rochelle offense on Sunday, with the two boys combining for four hits, two runs and two RBIs. Ethan Goodwin went 1-for-2 with one run scored, while Eli Koonce added another run scored. Harley notched a team-high three RBIs to lead Rochelle to victory.

Grant Gensler pitched the majority of Sunday’s game, hurling five innings while striking out four batters to keep the Macomb offense at bay. Gensler also went 1-for-4 at the plate with one run scored.

Paris

Rochelle scored at least two runs in four of the six innings played on Monday, with Lewis recorded a team-high five RBIs on two base hits. Four players totaled two RBIs including Brode Metzger, Brandyn Metzger, Morris and Gensler.

Dalton Merriman went 1-for-4 with one RBI to aid the Rochelle attack, while Lucas Smardo went 1-for-2 with one run scored. Goodwin and Villalobos each chipped in one RBI.

Riverside

Gensler and Morris knocked in Rochelle’s two runs on Tuesday, with the 9-10 All-Stars combining for four hits in the game. Lewis went 1-for-2, while Brode Metzger and Gensler each went 1-for-2 as well. Goodwin went 1-for-1 in his lone plate appearance.