Trenton Lady Bulldogs use speed on the bases, Tolson’s shutout pitching, to clinch GRC East title

The Trenton Lady Bulldogs, for four innings on Tuesday night in Unionville, were shut down by Putnam County right-hander Sammi Bradshaw, with the Lady Midgets starter matching Trenton’s Ainsley Tolson with four straight shutout frames.

Unable to depend on their normally potent ‘booming bats’ to supply run-support, Trenton went a different route to get on the board, utilizing heads-up base-running and overall team speed to score three runs in the 5th, then adding three unearned runs in the 7th, in a 6-0 win at Putnam County, clinching a second straight Grand River Conference Eastern Division championship for THS.

Held to just three hits over the first 4 1/3 innings by Bradshaw, Trenton’s fifth-inning surge started on a well-hit ball by senior second baseman Jayden Roeder.  Tom Johnson had the call on Hot Country Z 101.7:

A wild pitch sent Roeder to third base, as sophomore McKayla Blackburn stepped up to the plate with two outs:

Blackburn stole second and scored on an infield single by Tolson to make the score 2-0.  Tolson then stole second, and scored on a single by Mykah Hurley.

Tolson escaped a two-on, two-out jam in the Putnam County 6th inning, getting a ground ball out to first baseman Sidney Lynch.  Trenton, benefitting by two outfield errors by the Midgets in the visiting 7th, had Tolson score on a misplay off a Hurley fly ball, Hurley sent to third on a single by Salem Croy, and both Hurley and courtesy runner Kennedy Norton raced home on a double off the bat of freshman center fielder Maci Moore:

Tolson worked around a lead-off walk in the 7th, just her third free pass of the season, to retire the final three Lady Midget batters, ensuring a three-hit shutout and a second straight GRC Eastern Division title for Trenton, now 7-0 in conference play and 12-1 overall, with the final score 6-0.

Trenton Head Coach John Cowling was pleased to see his team pass a tough road test against a quality opponent:

On the mind of the emotionally drained Lady Bulldogs is junior Taylor Richman, out for the season with a broken leg suffered during Friday’s practice at THS.  The Trenton girls are making it visually clear that they are playing for their teammate, sporting a logo that includes five lines (representing Richman’s #5 jersey) for the past two games:

By virtue of winning the GRC East, Trenton will host the Grand River Conference championship game, playing the GRC Western Division champion Stanberry Lady Bulldogs on Thursday, September 21st at 5:30 from Mark Griffin Memorial Field:

The loss drops Putnam County to 5-1 in the Grand River Conference, and 9-5 overall.  With the #2 seed in the GRC East locked up, the Lady Midgets will host King City in the GRC’s ‘crossover game” on September 21st.  Putnam County will host Maysville to finish off Eastern Division play on Tuesday, September 19th.

Other final scores in the Grand River Conference on Tuesday night were:

Princeton 4, Maysville 3 (Lacie Lewis – game winning hit in 7th inning)

Gallatin 12, Milan 1

South Harrison 13, Polo 2

Braymer 6, Albany 5

Stanberry 14, Pattonsburg 0

King City 8, Worth County 2