Trenton senior right-hander McKayla Blackburn shut down Princeton’s offense with a complete game eight-hitter, as the Lady Bulldogs broke open a scoreless tie with four late runs in a 4-1 win on Tuesday at Gerald Gentry Field in Princeton, broadcast on KTTN FM 92.3.
Blackburn matched goose eggs with Princeton sophomore Lauren Krohn through four innings, before Trenton jumped on top in the fifth innings. Maci Moore, having reached on a one-out single, scored on a wild pitch, while Blackburn, with Chandler Lynch on third base, picked up a clutch two-out RBI single to double the lead to 2-0.
THS, the beneficiary of eight base on balls throughout the game, added an insurance run in the sixth inning, as a bases loaded walk to Lynch scored Chloe Harris. The lead went to 4-0 in the Bulldogs seventh inning, with Blackburn reaching via a walk, moving to second on a sacrifice bunt by Teya Cooksey, advancing to third on a Gracyn Rongey single, and coming home on a fielding error on a dropped pop fly between the pitcher’s circle and home plate.
Princeton’s best chance to get back into the game came in the sixth inning, as down 3-0, the Lady Tigers got Lacy Lewis and Krohn on with back-to-back singles. However, one of the Lady Tigers best young hitters, freshman Carsey Brown, hit a blistering shot at Lynch at third base, who stepped on the base for the force-out, and across the diamond for a rally killing double play.
Princeton broke the shutout in the seventh inning, with Jasmine Allen’s leadoff double followed two batters later by an RBI single by Sara Spencer.
PHS, falling to 4-2 on the season, and 1-2 in the GRC East, will play at Milan on Thursday night, while Trenton, improving to 4-3 overall and 2-1 in conference play, will host Gallatin on Thursday night, weather permitting.
Elsewhere in GRC East play on Tuesday night, Putnam County won at Gallatin 11-0 to remain in the divisional lead, with Polo shutting out Milan 10-0, and Maysville routing South Harrison 19-1.
In GRC Western Divisional play, Albany was a 7-3 win against North Andrew, with Worth County downing Stanberry 4-3, and Braymer hammering King City 11-1.
Other scores from the night on the diamond were:
Mercer 12, Winston 2
Tri-County 24, East Harrison 5
Lathrop 10, North Harrison 8
Norborne 13, Hardin-Central 3
Cameron 5, Maryville 2
St. Joseph Lafayette 6, Chillicothe 4
Plattsburg 7, Lexington 2
St. Pius X 17, LeBlond 1
