Heading into the top of the 4th inning of Monday night’s battle at Grand River Conference rival Trenton, the South Harrison Bulldog baseball team was down 5-2, and had given up five consecutive runs, putting the host Bulldogs in strong position to pick up their fourth consecutive win.
With an 8-run 4th inning, the story-line from the game at Burleigh Grimes Field swiftly shifted back to South Harrison, as the visitors held on for a wild 20-12 win, in action heard on KTTN FM 92.3.
Sam Schilling went the first three innings for Trenton, and despite giving up a pair of first-inning runs, was strong, allowing four hits and walking two, while striking out four. However, with a game against Mercer on Tuesday night, and the Bulldogs district opener against LeBlond looming on Friday, THS Coach Andy Hight had made the decision to work the bullpen in Monday’s game, and save on Schilling’s arm.
Freshman right-hander Chase Otto got the ball for the 4th inning, which began inauspiciously for Trenton, as back-to-back-to-back fielding errors loaded the bases with no outs. Nine batters later, with a barrage that included RBI singles by Payton Gentry, Cody Weller, and Blake Thomas, eight runs had given South Harrison a 10-5 lead.
While Trenton trailed for the rest of the night, South Harrison’s inability to throw strikes kept the possibility of a THS rally very much in play, as the Bethany side walked 10 batters over seven innings. After escaping a bases-loaded jam in the Trenton 6th inning, with THS only down by a score of 17-12, South Harrison scored three insurance runs in the 7th off of Trenton reliever Colton Colston, while Blake Thomas struck out the side in the bottom of the 7th to end the over three-hour long contest.
Kinser Corbett had three hits and three runs scored, with Tanner Daughtery and Payton Gentry both scoring four runs, and Cody Weller adding four hits and three runs scored for South Harrison, now 7-2 on the season. Trenton burned through five pitchers in the loss, dropping the Bulldogs record to 8-13. Avery Cooksey had 3 hits and three runs scored for THS, while Cole Schilling and Sam Schilling both had a pair of hits and two RBI’s each.
Trenton’s memory will need to be short, as coming off a tough night that included seven errors and 20 hits allowed, Trenton will return to Burleigh Grimes Field tonight (Tuesday night), to host the Mercer (with Princeton) Cardinals in a 5 o’clock first pitch. It is Senior Night for the Bulldogs, with the teams senior players and managers to be honored between the varsity and JV games. The varsity game can be heard on KTTN FM 92.3.
South Harrison and Trenton tied in JV competition on Monday night, 8-8.
