The Trenton Bulldogs made short work of the rival Chillicothe Hornets on Tuesday afternoon, winning in Class 1, District 15 semifinal action by a final score of 5-0. Four matches, all singles, were still being played at THS when the dual was whistled completed, after Trenton earned the clinching fifth victory.
In a dominant night for the #1 seed, the most competitive match would be a doubles affair between Trenton’s #2 squad of Kade Ockenfels and Creed Houghton, going against Chillicothe’s duo of Tyler Maasdam and Seth Bayte. Ockenfels and Houghton survived that match 9-7. The other four completed matches went decidedly for the Bulldogs, as the #1 doubles team of Nick Shields and Gabe Swann shutout the Hornets’ Grahm Mayers and Noah Crowe 9-love, while the #3 doubles match went to Trenton’s Wyatt Neal and Jeremy Elliott, 8-1 over Matthew Callen and Gunner Young.
In singles play, Trenton’s #2 Kade Ockenfels routed Chillicothe’s Mayers 6-1, 6-love, while #3 Gabe Swann shutdown Crowe 6-love, 6-love. Trenton, with the win, improves to 12-2 on the season, and advances to the District 15 final, to be played this (Wednesday) afternoon at 4 o’clock against the Richmond Spartans at the THS Courts. Richmond advanced with a 5-4 semifinal triumph over MRVC rival Carrollton. The Spartans, seeded 2nd in the six-team field, are 7-4 on the season.
Among the uncompleted matches between the ‘Dogs and the Hornets on Tuesday, at the time the dual ended, Nick Shields of Trenton, at #1 singles, led Tyler Maasdam 6-1. Chillicothe did have early leads from both Gunner Young (vs. Wyatt Neal) and Seth Batye (vs. Jeremy Elliott), while the match at #4 singles between Trenton’s Creed Houghton and Chillicothe’s Matthew Callen never did begin.
District individual singles and doubles will begin on Saturday at Excelsior Springs High School.