MOORE POWER

Sophomore Sets New HR Mark In Semifinal Win

By the time Maci Moore came to the plate for the second time in the Trenton High School softball team’s 13-0 district semifinal win over Lawson on Thursday in Hamilton, she already had a good game going.
In her first at-bat, Moore drove a three-run home run to give the Bulldogs a 3-0 edge scoring Ainsley Tolson and Mykah Hurley with the shot.
But Moore is in the business of hitting the ball over the wall. She hit six home runs last year as a freshman, tying the single season school record for long balls, and her first blast Thursday was her seventh this year, breaking that mark.
So when Moore stepped into the box for the second time, still in the bottom of the first inning, she went ahead and rocketed another ball over the fence, this one scoring two runs and landing even further beyond the wall than the first. Now at eight home runs on the season, Moore has pushed her career total to 14, just five shy of the school’s career record, held by Salem Croy, who has 19 total, including six this year.
“Since she has hit so many home runs the last two seasons, it’s easy to look at her now and see a power hitter,” Trenton Head Coach John Cowling said. “Last year when the season started I knew Maci could be a player that could hit for a high average, but I did not see this kind of power this early in her career. She has a knack for hitting home runs at key moments, either giving us a lead or, like last night, giving us a lead early that was going to be difficult to overcome.”
Moore’s two home runs highlighted a 10-run first inning for Trenton, one that completely demoralized Lawson and made the game’s outcome a foregone conclusion.
Trenton would tack on two in the second and one in the third, taking the game by the 10-run rule in five innings.
In addition to Moore’s two home runs, Trenton got a two-run long ball by Chandler Lynch, the first of the freshman second baseman’s career. Moore and Lynch were both two-for-two in the win, while Tolson was two-for-four with a two-run triple just ahead of Moore’s second home run. Taylor Richman and Lexi Whitaker each had a double in the win.
While Trenton’s offense was cruising, Tolson had the Cardinals’ lineup caged. Lawson managed just two hits off the Trenton ace, who struck out six in her five innings of work. The shutout was the 16th of the year for the Bulldogs, who moved to 23-2 overall with the victory.
Also with the win, Trenton vaulted itself into the district championship game for the 10th year in a row, something only Blair Oaks can claim as well of the current 88 Class 2 schools in the state.
The Bulldogs will face the host school Hamilton in the district championship game on Saturday at noon. This will be the fourth time Trenton and Hamilton have collided with a district championship on the line. The Bulldogs defeated the Hornets for the 2009 title 3-1, but lost 1-0 to the Hornets in the 2011 title game and 2-1 to the Hornets in last season’s district championship.