Trenton Strikes First, But Falls In Opener

Bulldogs Can’t Keep Pace With Mules In 15-3 Loss
After two postponed games, the Trenton High School baseball team was ready to get their 2022 campaign under way in Lathrop on Friday. Their eagerness showed in the opening frame when the Bulldogs knocked in two runs before the host Mules ever got a turn at the plate.
But Lathrop had answers — a lot of them. By the game’s end, Trenton’s early lead never stood a chance as the Mules sent the Bulldogs home with a 15-3 loss in five innings. It was a loss that established an 0-1 start to the season for the Bulldogs and an 0-1 start to first-year head coach David Shockley’s career.
Lathrop’s offense answered Trenton’s initial punch with four runs in the bottom of the first, four more in the second and seven in the third. Trenton, meanwhile, sputtered at the plate after the opening inning and managed just one more run the rest of the way, a single tally in the top of the fifth that wasn’t enough to force the game into a sixth inning as the contest was called by the 10-run rule.
Despite the lop-sided final score, Trenton hammered out eight hits in the loss, all singles. Mason Rongey was 2-for-3 with a run scored and Gabe Novak and Brayden Wiggins each added a hit and a run scored. Bobby Schreckengaust and Luke Schilling each had a hit and an RBI and Gavin Cagle and Sam Gibson each added hits as well.
On the hill, Novak started, allowing eight runs on just two hits and six walks while striking out two in one and two-thirds innings. Rongey followed, yielding seven runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out two in two and one-third innings.
Trenton was looking to bounce back in its second game of the season on Monday as the Bulldogs traveled to face Cameron. Trenton will be back on the road on Thursday, traveling to take on Princeton. The first pitch for that game is set for 5 p.m.
Shockley is looking to breath new life into a program that was just 2-13 last year, playing with a roster of just nine players. Shockley was able to bring some excitment to the baseball team, drawing 21 players to the sport this season.