The Stanberry Lady Bulldogs, in the first three years of the expanded 16-team Grand River Conference, had gone 0-3 in attempts to win the conference’s softball championship game, falling to the powerhouse program at Trenton High School. Last season, Stanberry dropped to 2nd place in the GRC’s Western Division, traveling again, to Trenton, where THS again beat Stanberry,
In 2020, Stanberry returned to the top of the GRC West, but, this time, instead of seeing Trenton in the opposite dugout, the Lady Bulldogs hosted a traditional nearby rival in the Maysville Lady Wolverines. On Thursday night, the result was different for Stanberry, with SHS taking the conference crown, winning 6-5. Stanberry becomes the first Western Division school to take the conference title, after the three-year run of Trenton (2016-2018) and Putnam County’s GRC title in 2019. Stanberry is now 13-1 on the season.
The Thursday night “Crossover” games had a bit of a different look in 2020, as only six schools remain playing softball in the west after Braymer made the move to the CLAA last spring. St. Joseph Christian does not have a softball team. With eight teams remaining in the eastern division, the teams finishing in the 7th and 8th positions met, with Trenton traveling to Milan to play the Lady ‘Cats for the third time this season.
For the first time in three attempts, Milan earned the victory over Trenton, winning at Legion Field by a final score of 4-3. Trenton opened the scoring with two runs in the top of the first inning, only to see Milan tie it with two runs in the bottom of the 2nd, then take the lead with two more tallies in the 3rd. After Trenton tied the contest at 4-4 with two runs in the fifth, Milan took the lead, and eventually, the win, with a single run in the bottom of the 5th.
Milan had seven hits in the win, and struck out only four times against Trenton freshman right-hander Emma Roberts, who went six innings, allowing seven hits and five runs, all earned, without walking a batter.
Trenton’s Moore sisters scored all four runs for the Lady Bulldogs, with Madi Moore going 2-for-4 in the leadoff position. Maci Moore was walked three times by Milan, scoring twice as well. Eliana Cowling was one-for-two for the Bulldogs with two RBI’s and a double. With recent COVID-19 quarantines hitting the Lady Bulldogs, Trenton played short-handed in the contest.
Other results from the GRC’s “Crossover Thursday” were:
#2 Game : Polo 17, North Andrew 5
#3 Game : South Harrison 9, King City 0
#4 Game : Putnam County 5, Albany 3
#5 Game : Princeton 11, Worth County 7
#6 Game : Gallatin 13, Pattonsburg 10
Other softball finals from Thursday, October 1, 2020 were:
North Harrison 14, Winston 0
Mercer 10, Gilman City 4
Linn County 21, Grundy County 11
Plattsburg 3, West Platte 0
Lawson 10, Mid-Buchanan 6
East Buchanan 6, North Platte 1
Penney 4, Lathrop 2
Macon 6, Chillicothe 3
Brashear 11, Meadville 1
Carrollton 13, Richmond 6
(BASEBALL) Green City 15, BMC 0
Brookfield 5, Schuyler County 2
Marceline 13, Fayette 2
Atlanta 16, Novinger 0
