The Trenton Lady Bulldogs, after starting pool play with a workmanlike 5-1 win over the Savannah Lady Savages on Saturday morning, put their offense into over-drive for the rest of the Cameron Tournament, routing DeKalb, Mid-Buchanan, and St. Joseph Lafayette in winning the title at the season-opening annual event.
Salem Croy’s bases-clearing triple was the key hit in Trenton’s 5-1 win over Savannah, moving the Lady Bulldogs into the “Pool D” championship game against the DeKalb Lady Tigers. With humidity levels and the temperature increasing in the early afternoon, Trenton’s offense overwhelmed the DeKalb side, with THS rolling to a 14-1 run-rule victory.
As the champions of Pool D, Trenton moved into bracket play, and a semifinal test with a strong KCI Conference program from Mid-Buchanan. In the bottom of the 2nd inning, a Sidney Lynch single scored courtesy runner Gracyn Rongey with the first run of the game for Trenton, with the run doubling in the third inning, as Mykah Hurley scored on a Maci Moore single.
Two more runs in the 4th, a single tally in the 5th, and five runs in the 6th, highlighted by Maci Moore’s two run homer over the center field fence, gave starting pitcher Ainsley Tolson plenty of support, in a 10-3 Trenton win. Tolson went six innings, giving up three hits and a run on five strikeouts. Junior McKayla Blackburn pitched the 7th, giving up a pair of runs on two hits and a walk. Blackburn had earlier pitched against DeKalb in Trenton’s win, while Tolson went in the season opener against Savannah.
The Trenton group, playing in the championship game against the MEC’s Lafayette Irish, dominated the entire five inning game, called after Trenton opened up a 12-0 lead. The Lady Bulldogs batted around against Lafayette starter Emilie Carr in the top of the 1st inning, with six base hit and two walks adding up to seven runs, and a comfortable lead for Tolson. In the Irish 1st inning, Lafayette put runners at the corners with one out, but strikeouts of Bianca Vice and Kaycia Williamson squeezed Tolson from the jam. A sacrifice fly by Moore, in the third inning, scored Chandler Lynch, while another run scored on a Croy double. In the 5th inning, under a late-night full moon, Trenton’s power showed up in the course of four at-bats, with three solo homers leaving the park. Tom Johnson had the call on Hot Country Z 101.7 and KTTNSports.com:
Tolson closed out the championship by striking out the side in the top of the 5th inning. Lafayette finished the day 3-1, while Trenton, 4-0 in the first test of the season, heads home to host the Putnam County Midgets, Tuesday night (weather permitting) at 5:30, on Hot Country Z 101.7 and KTTNSports.com.
