The Trentonettes capped off a stellar season in a big way Sunday as they scored a national championship with a 6-3 win in the finals of the ASA Northern Nationals in Rochester, MN. The 18-and-under fastpitch squad bounced back from a pool play loss in their first game of the tournament, reeling off six-straight wins on their way to the title.
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That first loss came against the Jackson Huskies from Jackson, MN. The Trentonettes fell 8-6 despite a solid showing. Danessa Derry and Breanna Fortune combined for five strikeouts in the loss and Makaila Capeder had a very strong game at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a run scored. Fortune had an RBI and a run scored and Madi Trump drove in a run as well. Kate Lowrey came around to score three times in the game and McKinley Hurley scored one run.
The Trentonettes were able to pick up their first win of the tournament in game two, defeating the Hegewisch Synergy from Chicago, IL 9-4. Danessa Derry and Scotlin Hurley combined for the win on the hill and got very good run support from the Trentonettes’ offense. Lindsey Derry was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Trump was 2-for-4 with one RBI and two runs scored. Scotlin Hurley was 1-for-3 with a triple, an RBI and three runs scored. Avery Whitaker and Lowrey each had an RBI, Rahel Horner had two runs scored and Fortune scored a run as well.
Following the split in pool play, the Trentonettes entered bracket play, where they picked up a 7-2 win over the Omaha, NE Lightning. Scotlin Hurley fanned eight on her way to the win on the hill and Fortune struck out two in relief. At the plate, Scotlin Hurley backed herself up as well, going 3-for-4 with a triple and three RBIs. Capeder was 2-for-3 with three RBIs and scored a run. Fortune had a double, drove in a run and scored once. Lowrey touched the plate twice and Whitaker scored once as the Trentonettes rolled into the second round.
The Trentonettes had their hands full with the Red Corvettes from Duluth, MN, but escaped with a 4-3 victory. Fortune took the win on the hill, striking out two. Lindsey Derry was 2-for-2 at the plate, driving in two runs and scoring another. Fortune added a sacrifice RBI, Scotlin Hurley scored two runs and Whitaker scored one.
In the quarterfinals, the Trentonettes faced off with the North Dakota ASA state champions, the West Fargo Impact, and took a 5-0 win. Scotlin Hurley stuck out four and Fortune fanned one as the two combined for the shutout. Lindsey Derry and Danessa Derry each drove in two runs and Kate Lowrey drove in one as the Trentonettes coasted to the victory. Trump scored two runs and Whitaker, Scotlin Hurley and Lindsey Derry all came around to score a run.
In the semifinals, the Trentonettes punched their ticket to the title game with a 4-2 win over the Bi-County Thunder from Alexis, IL. Fortune collected the win, striking out five. Capeder was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and Whitaker was 2-for-3 as well with one RBI. Lowrey drove in a run and scored a run, going 3-for-4 at the dish. Others scoring runs for the Trentonettes included Lindsey Derry, Fortune and Trump.
The title game featured a re-match between the Trentonettes and the West Fargo Impact, who had run the table since falling to the Trentonettes. The second game was closer than the 5-0 shutout in the first meeting between the two, but the Trentonettes still picked up the win, 6-3. Scotlin Hurley and Fortune again combined for the win. Trump delivered in a big way on the big stage, going 1-for-3 with a double and three RBIs in the championship. Scotlin Hurley and Horner each had two hits, an RBI and two runs scored and McKinley Hurley scored two runs.
“We have a couple of girls on the team that really did a good job of keeping us motivated,” Trentonettes’ Coach Paul Derry said. “I went to those girls before each game after that first loss and said ‘keep us going.’ They kept us pumped up and we set small goals to reach the ultimate goal of winning the tournament. We needed to win each battle to win the war.”
With the championship victory the Trentonettes capped off a remarkable season that saw them go 50-19 overall, the championship win being their 50th. There were seven states represented in the national tournament held at McQuillen Park in Rochester.
“Fifty wins is the most we have ever compiled in a single season,” Derry said. “We have always had good defensive teams, but I think what sets this group apart is the offense. This group can hit the ball really well. In the past we always won games by one or two runs, but never really blew anybody out of the water. We had a few games like that up there, but we really put up the runs in most of our games. That says a lot for these girls. Any given kid can hit the ball at any given time. We hit all the way through the lineup.”