‘INTIMIDATING FORCE’

Bulldogs Blast Milan 15-0, Clinch GRC East Title

Maci Moore rolled into third base on Tuesday night to complete an RBI triple in the first inning of the Trenton High School softball team’s matchup with Milan. The very next batter – Salem Croy – deposited a pitch over the right-center field fence for a two-run home run.
Welcome to the nightmare the Grand River Conference is living.
With Moore and Croy wielding the hammers, Trenton destroyed Milan 15-0 in a four-inning rout, clinching the Dogs’ third-straight Grand River Conference East division title in the process.
“Maci and Salem are such an intimidating force in the middle of our lineup,” Trenton Coach John Cowling said. “Both of them are clicking right now. They’ve been so good at driving home runners this season that our number-five hitter – Taylor Richman – is batting almost .400 and only has five RBIs.”
Moore would finish the game three-for-three at the plate, scoring three runs and driving in five. Croy was two-for-three, meanwhile, adding her home run and four RBIs. Of Trenton’s 15 runs, nine were driven in by the three-four hitters in Trenton’s overbearing lineup.
Following the three runs produced by the duo in the first inning, Richman would double and score when McKayla Blackburn reached on an error.
Up 4-0, Mykah Hurley led off the second inning with a triple and scored on Moore’s second RBI. Moore would score on a wild pitch and Gracyn Rongey – running for Croy – scored on another Milan error, pushing the lead to 7-0.
In the third inning, Ainsley Tolson singled to drive home Chandler Lynch, who led off the inning with a triple. Teya Cooksey – running for Tolson – and Moore would both score on a lined single by Croy as the lead ballooned to 10-0.
Trenton closed the game in the fourth with a bases-loaded single by Moore that plated three runs. and a ground-rule double by Lexi Whitaker pushed the lead to 15-0, ending the game by the 15-run rule.
In addition to Moore and Croy going off, Chandler Lynch had two hits and two runs and Tolson and Richman each had two hits and a run scored. Sydney Lynch, Hurley and Whitaker all had one hit each as Trenton hammered out 14 total for the game.
While the offense exploded, Tolson threw her second perfect game in three outings, though this one went just four frames. The senior pitcher didn’t allow a baserunner while striking out six.
The shutout was the fourth in a row for Trenton and the eighth of the season. All of eight shutouts have come in the last nine games, a 4-3 loss to Hamilton being the only outlier in that stretch.
The school record for shutouts in a single season came in 2009, when Trenton shut out its opponent 14 times on the way to a state runner-up finish.
With the win, Trenton improved to 11-1 overall on the season and 6-0 in Grand River Conference play. The Bulldogs have clinched the East division title and will play for a third-straight GRC championship on Thursday, Sept. 27, traveling to the site of the West division champion for the game. That match-up will likely be against Stanberry for the third-straight year as the Bulldogs of the West have yet to lose a division game this year.
Trenton wrapped up division play on Thursday, traveling to Gallatin for a make-up contest. That game story can be found online at www.republican-times.com. Trenton will be at home all day on Saturday, competing in the North Central Missouri College Nan Carter Classic at the Ebbe Sports Complex. The first pitch is scheduled for 9 a.m.
Trenton will take on South Harrison (9 a.m.), Brookfield (1:30 p.m.) and Platte Valley (4:30 p.m.) in pool play, all on Griffin Field. The tournament championship is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.