Rotary rolls to end of regular season

Rotary put the finishing touches on an outstanding regular season by

defeating Hobie, 9-0, and rallied to edge a determined American

Legion team, 7-5, at Riddle Field.

The two victories gave the Majors Division champs a 13-game win

streak and put them at 18-1, overall.

Sawyer Pierce pitched a masterful six-inning shutout against

Hobie.

The left-hander, on the mound for the first time this season,

limited Hobie to six hits. He struck out three and received

outstanding support from a defense that played an error-free game in

making 15 putouts in 15 attempts.

Offensively, Michael Maxsenti and Alex Wheeler led the way for

Rotary.

Maxsenti recorded three hits in three trips to the plate and

knocked in four runs.

Wheeler drove in two runs with a triple to deep left-centerfield.

Pierce and Hobie’s Cole Kennedy were locked in a pitchers’ duel

through two scoreless innings.

In the third inning, Rotary broke through as Sammy Witte walked

and Michael Niebuhr and Brett Linkletter each singled and Maxsenti,

on the first pitch offered him, blasted a double to the fence to

plate all three runs for a 3-0 lead.

After Pierce sent Hobie down in order in the bottom of the third,

Rotary went back to work offensively in the top of the fourth.

Raphael Vickers lined a base hit to start the inning, Michael

Hyden reached base on an infield grounder and Pierce drew a walk.

Drew Wheeler’s single scored Hyden as Rotary stretched its advantage

to 4-0.

Still in the inning, Alex Wheeler followed with a hit to deep,

left-centerfield to score Pierce and brother Drew Wheeler. Witte then

hit an infield ground out that scored Alex Wheeler to give Rotary a

7-0 cushion.

In the top of the fifth, Rotary used a walk to Linkletter, a Chris

Lavery double and long single by Maxsenti to score twice more for a

9-0 lead.

Derek Knott led Hobie’s offense with two hits and Keaton Jones and

Charlie Jackson each made standout defensive plays.

In its previous game, Rotary trailed a talented American Legion

team, 5-2, heading into the bottom of the fourth inning.

There, Vickers reached base on a field error and went on to score

without the benefit of a hit to cut the Rotary deficit to 5-3.

After Maxsenti struck out the side in the top-half of the fifth,

Rotary bats came alive in the bottom of the inning.

Rotary recorded five consecutive hits by Lavery, Maxsenti, Bonsey,

Vickers and Hyden to score four runs to complete its

come-from-behind, 7-5 victory.

Rotary had grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second inning as Hyden and

Pierce each walked and scored.

American Legion cut the lead to 2-1 in the top of the third when

Arman Terrell walked and later scored on Alek Burk’s single.

They went on top, 5-2, in the fourth as Sean Pigden, Alex

Iannotti, Tyler Macrae, Terrell and Morgan Curry all singled.

Down by three runs in the bottom of the fourth, Rotary started its

rally that led to its fifth, late innings come-from-behind win of the

season.

For American Legion, Curry and Macrae each recorded two hits to

the lead the offense and Burk and Casey Miller led the way on

defense.

Rotary’s offense was led by Lavery and Mikey Rubel, Linkletter and

Niebuhr each made key contributions.