Hamilton pitcher Julia Kanoy can be an imposing opponent for anyone, let alone a freshman pitcher. She was a second team all-state pitcher as a freshman in 2017 and last year, was the second pitcher listed on the first team.
During that all-state campaign a year ago, Kanoy posted a 0.512 ERA, struck out 16 in a single game – 220 on the season – and limited opposing hitters to just a .114 batting average. Those numbers were all school records at Hamilton, a program with a rich softball tradition.
Trenton’s Emma Roberts, on the other hand, was pitching at the middle school level a year ago. Junior Jenna Reeter threw just over 15 innings at the varsity level last year as a sophomore.
But on Monday night, Trenton’s two inexperienced hurlers went toe-to-toe with the all-stater from Hamilton.
In the end it wasn’t quite enough as Trenton faltered in the 11th inning, losing 4-1 to the visiting Hornets. But the pitching effort was a monumental boost for Trenton, which was allowing just over nine runs per contest entering the game.
“I love what is going on in the circle right now,” Trenton coach Joel Hultman said. “(Roberts and Reeter) are challenging hitters and making them earn everything. They are also fielding really well. They both fielded and threw out multiple batters tonight. When they are challenging hitters like that, they give us a chance every night. As a coaching staff, we feel we are about to turn things around and a lot of that credit has to go to our pitchers.”
Roberts got the start and went six innings. She allowed just one run on two hits and two walks while striking out three. When she left the game, she was Kanoy’s equal with the game tied at 1-1.
Reeter would take the ball in the seventh and threw four scoreless innings. In her fifth frame, however, Hamilton finally broke through and plated three runs in the 11th inning. Still, Reeter finished the game with three runs allowed on just three hits while striking out three. She walked seven in her five innings of work, though five were intentional free passes as Trenton worked some strategy to keep Hamilton off balance.
One benefit the Trenton pitchers had working in their favor was Maci Moore behind the plate. Trenton’s own all-state senior moved from shortstop to catcher, swapping positions with Gracyn Rongey. The move paid dividends as Moore threw out a runner and kept the Bulldogs’ young pitchers ahead of the Hornet lineup throughout the contest.
“Maci behind the plate is great for everyone, including myself,” Hultman said. “The pitchers trust her calling the game a lot more than me, which frees me up to move the outfield and infield around and also communicate things that normally I don’t get to think about. She can see where batters are lining up in the box, she knows their history and where they like to go with the ball. She knows what pitches are working and when to throw them. She communicates with the defense and moves them around from batter to batter.”
Rongey, meanwhile, overcame a pair of errors early to turn in a strong defensive outing. She doubled off two Hamilton runners and made putouts that erased the errors she committed.
“When you take (Moore) from shortstop, as a coach you’re nervous if that’s just going to open another hole, but Gracyn has stepped in and really fielded well, like we knew she could,” Hultman said. “I feel like our defense is in a good spot and the more innings we play the better we are going to function together.”
While Trenton’s pitching and defense shined, however, Kanoy was too much for the Bulldogs to crack offensively. Trenton scored just once in the game, with the run coming in the bottom of the fourth to answer Hamilton’s first score of the game. Chandler Lynch led off with a triple and Moore plated her with a sacrifice on a squeeze play.
It was Senior Night for Trenton, which honored Moore, Chloe Harris and Jaycie Griffin between the varsity game and the junior varsity contest – which Trenton won 12-6.
“I really wanted to get Senior Night in just in case something unforeseen happened,” Hultman said. “They deserve it.
“Jaycie has really stepped up as a vocal leader that we need for our team this year. She has a lot of experience and she is really positive, which we struggle with sometimes being so young. Young players can get down on themself and she has picked up several of them throughout the season.
“Chloe has busted her butt to give the team everything she has. She sets the tone for our outfield and she does a great job of tracking down all sorts of balls. At the plate she really knows who she is and she punishes teams that make a mistake with her.
“Maci, in my opinion, is the greatest player to come through our historic program. I think the thing that sticks out with all the seniors is that they want to win. Other groups I’ve had, they either want to have fun or want to get playing time. These players just want to compete in every drill and every game. That needed to be celebrated tonight. I thought going into extra innings and grinding out everything was a true metaphor for how these ladies approach softball and really life in general. All three of them have bigger things in their future and I can’t wait to see all they accomplish.”