Salem Croy is one of the most feared hitters in the entire state at the Class 2 level. So, it came as no surprise when Stanberry delved out an intentional walk to the Trenton catcher to load the bases and take their chances with a freshman hitter.
But, that plan backfired.
Maci Moore then rocketed a ball to centerfield that skipped past the Stanberry centerfielder and cleared the bases.
It was an exclamation point on Trenton’s second consecutive Grand River Conference championship, this one won with a 13-0 victory over West Division champion Stanberry in five innings on Thursday.
“I’m thinking that I just have to get a base hit,” Moore said about watching Croy being issued a free pass ahead of her. “I just need to keep my head on the ball.”
That’s exactly what Moore did. Her bases-clearing shot pushed Trenton’s lead to 12-0 at the time and she would score the final run of the game, easily, on a passed ball.
“Maci has been big all year in RBI situations – she almost has as many as Salem,” Trenton head coach John Cowling said. “We feel confident in her no matter what the situation is, but if they are going to walk Salem, she is going to make them pay and the girls believe in her now.”
Moore only recently stepped into the role of protecting Croy. That was Taylor Richman’s job – and one she was excelling at – before her season was cut short with a broken leg.
“You can’t replace a player like Taylor Richman, but Maci has stepped into the cleanup role better than I could have expected,” Cowling said. “You wouldn’t know she is only a freshman with how she plays.”
Moore finished the game with team-highs in hits and RBIs. She was three-for-three in the win, driving in four runs and scoring twice.
Behind Moore, Croy was two-for-two with two walks and driving in two runs. Sidney Lynch was two-for-three with two RBIs and Ainsley Tolson went two-for-four with three runs scored. Mykah Hurley was one-for-four with an RBI and two runs scored and Lexi Whitaker and Ashten Whitaker each added a hit.
Trenton’s victory over Stanberry was the second in as many years after the Bulldogs of the East topped the Bulldogs of the West in the GRC title game for the second year in a row. Trenton’s pitcher, Tolson, continued her dominance of Stanberry, shutting out the West Division champions for the second year in a row. She fired all five frames on Thursday night, allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out five. She has now shut out Stanberry in 12 consecutive innings in the two games combined.
“The zone was pretty tough,” Tolson said. “(Stanberry) hit off me some, but my defense was there to back me up, so that really helps. The shutout, that’s not on me. Most of the time it’s my teammates helping me out.”
Trenton has dominated the conference since joining, outscoring GRC competition 199-7 in the 16 games played between 2016 and 2017.
“To go from not being in a conference to being in a conference and learning what those rivalry games are like, they picked up on that early last year,” Cowling said. “They have done a great job of being focused and ready to go every time we have had a conference game.”
Trenton’s overall record on the season soared to 16-1 with the victory. The Bulldogs will now turn their attention to another big goal as they travel to the Centralia Tournament on Saturday. Trenton is seeded first and will take on Hallsville in the opener at 10:45 a.m.