Sailing along with an 11-3 record, the waters for the Macomb High baseball team became much more turbulent this past week.
Losing at home to LVC on Apr. 20, the Bombers headed to Pleasant Plains Friday for contests against the host Cardinals and Rochester.
Macomb lost to Pleasant Plains 9-4 before getting edged by Rochester 4-3.
On Saturday, the Bombers returned to Prairieland Conference play at Havana, where the team was no-hit in a 1-0 loss.
MHS is now 11-7 on the season, 1-3 in conference play.
Against Pleasant Plains, the Bombers scored twice in their at-bat.
Isaac Leinbach opened the game with a single to left. He scored when Nick Elbe homered to right, giving MHS the early lead.
Pleasant Plains used a double, stolen base and ground out to score its first run in the bottom of the inning.
Macomb made it 3-1 in the top of the fourth, scoring after two were out.
Leighton Lambert walked. Courtesy runner Tyler Schulz then stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch. Aiden Reynolds also walked before Drew Watson singled to left, scoring Shultz.
Pleasant Plains tied the contest in the bottom of the inning, using three hits, including Ian Behl’s two-run double.
The Cardinals then put together a three-run rally in the fifth.
A walk to Landon Maisenbacher, followed by a wild pitch and ground out allowed him to advance to third. He scored when Andrew Potthoff singled to right.
Owen Johnson was hit by a pitch before Max Johnson followed with a sac bunt, moving runners to second and third.
Drew Green followed with a single to center, scoring both runners to give the Cardinals a 6-3 lead.
Pleasant Plains scored its final three runs in the sixth inning, while Macomb scored its final run in the seventh.
The Cardinals out-hit the Bombers 11-6.
Elbe tripled and homered, knocking in two runs, while scoring twice.
Jake Ogle doubled, knocking in a run, while Watson had a hit and a run batted in. Leinbach had a hit and a run scored, while Kaden Knupp also had a hit for the Bombers.
Blaine Eddington pitched 4.1 innings, allowing five earned runs on seven hits. He struck out five and walked two.
Schulz pitched 1.2 innings, allowing four runs, two earned, on four hits. He hit two batters.
Potthoff had two hits, including a double, with three runs batted in for Pleasant Plains (15-7).
Behl and Drew Green added two RBIs each. Maisenbacher had three hits, including a double, with three runs scored.
The Cardinals used four pitchers.
Kreston Shultz recorded just one out, allowing two runs on two hits with one walk.
Grayson Dodd pitched four innings, allowing one earned run on one hit. He struck out four, walked two and hit a batter.
Fisk Brady pitched 2.1 innings, allowing one earned run on three hits with one walk and one strikeout.
Behl recorded the final out of the contest.
In Macomb’s contest with Rochester, the Rockets grabbed a 2-0 in the top of the first.
Sean Plessa walked before scoring on a Sam Ferris double to left. Ferris stole third and scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Ajay Runkel.
Macomb scored its first run in the bottom of the second on an RBI groundout to short by Lambert that scored Reynolds.
Rochester doubled its lead to 3-1 in the top of the fourth as Runkel singled with one out before Frank Stefano III doubled to center, scoring Runkel.
The Bombers answered in the bottom of the inning.
Knupp and Reynolds opened the frame with back-to-back singles before advancing on a wild pitch. Jaxon Barclay then lifted a sacrifice fly to right that scored Knupp.
Both teams added their final runs in the seventh inning.
In the top half, Rochester’s Adam Anderson singled to left with one out. He advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored when Finn Bruce singled to left.
In the bottom half, Jake Ogle’s single brought home Leinbach, who had singled with one out and moved to second when Watson singled.
With the tying run at third and two outs, Knupp flew out to left to end the game.
Macomb out-hit Rochester 8-5 with both teams committing one error.
Ogle finished with two hits and a run batted in. Lambert and Barclay also had a run batted in.
Knupp, Reynolds and Leinbach all scored runs for the Bombers.
Elbe pitched five innings, allowing three earned runs on three hits. He struck out three, walked one and hit two batters.
Hayden Katz pitched two innings, allowing one earned run on two hits with one strikeout.
Ferris and Stefano III both doubled, knocking in one run for Rochester (8-7). Runkel and Bruce added one hit and one RBI each.
Stefano III pitched five innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits. He struck out two and walked three.
Plessa pitched the final two innings, allowing one earned run on three hits with one strikeout.
Saturday’s contest at Havana proved to be a pitcher’s duel between Havana’s Carter Brooks and Macomb’s Jaxon Barclay.
The lone run of the contest came in the bottom of the second inning.
Oscar Jones struck out swinging, but reached base on a wild pitch. Caleb McDaniel singled to left, advancing Jones to second.
Lukas Miller reached on a fielder’s choice that loaded the bases.
After Jayden Weaver struck out, Owen Smith grounded out to first, scoring Jones.
Barclay allowed one earned run on four hits in six innings. He struck out six and walked one.
Barclay threw 77 pitches, 57 for strikes.
Brooks struck out eight, walked one and hit two batters. He threw 92 pitches, 57 for strikes.
McDaniel had two hits, while Brooks and Jack Turner also had one hit apiece for Havana (12-3-1, 5-0 Prairieland).
Macomb was scheduled to return to action Monday, heading to Astoria to face South Fulton (1-14, 0-6 Prairieland).
On Tuesday, the Bombers return to Phil Bradley Field to play Monmouth-Roseville (6-10).
