Trenton Shuts Out Holmes County To Return To Title Game

On the big stage of the state Final Four tournament, that first inning often plays a big role in how things go. Returning to the state tournament at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers for the third straight season, the Trenton Tigers burst out of the gates like a team hungry for success.

Trenton broke out with a monster first inning to take a commanding lead and never looked back, for an 8-0 shutout over the defending state champion Holmes County Blue Devils in Wednesday’s Rural Class state semifinal.

The Tigers (23-5) move on to Thursday’s title game, with a chance to earn their fourth state championship in program history. They will face a familiar foe in the Union County Fightin’ Tigers, who advanced with a 2-0 win over the Cottondale Hornets in the other semifinal.

“We had a great first inning,” Trenton Manager Chris Marlo said. “We always talk about controlling the momentum and capturing the momentum early, and we battled one through nine. Brant Bivens got up twice in the first inning. They did a nice job of getting balls they could drive and not chasing out of the zone. We took some chances on the bases. We weren’t playing hesitant, and it paid off.”

Trenton sent ten batters to the plate and scored six runs with their first swings in the bottom of the first. Bivens set the tone right away by returning the first pitch of the game back into center field for a lead-off single. Starting pitcher Mason VanCannon was hit by a pitch and was replaced by courtesy-runner Brayden Cobb, and both base runners then scored thanks to a two-RBI single to left from Pierson Weatherilt.

With the deciding run already ultimately accounted for, Trenton kept piling on. Logan Marlo cracked a double to left that was just past the diving fielder’s leaping grasp, putting two more Tigers into scoring position.

“To come up short the last two years, and just to be able to catch the momentum in the first inning is just a great feeling,” Logan Marlo said. “Hitting is definitely contagious. When you have eight other guys that can all crush the ball, there’s not much pressure on you. So it lets you be up on the box and be free, and just crush the ball.”

The Tigers kept crushing the ball. Gabe Cobb deposited an RBI single into center to score Weatherilt, and Logan avoided the tag at the plate to also score on the play.

“Logan had a nice hook slide there to score,” Coach Marlo said. “We’ve worked a lot on base running this past week, and really all season. It paid off.”

Trenton wasn’t finished yet. Luke Hartenstein had an RBI single to center, and then scored himself thanks to a base hit to left from Noah Owens.

Bivens came around to bat again in the inning, an infield pop out that finally got the Blue Devils off the field. But it isn’t every day that the lead-off guy gets two turns in the first frame.

“It definitely feels great when I can go up there and get a hit and I know that my teammates, eight other guys behind me can get hits too,” Bivens said. “It’s just a great feeling that guys get my back.”

A large lead is a pitcher’s best friend, and VanCannon could not have felt more relaxed heading back onto the mound in the second. Despite the lengthy break while his offense feasted in the bottom of the first, he struck out the first two batters he faced to show no signs of having cooled down. A grounder to short retired the side in order to maintain all the momentum.

“It’s huge just to pitch with a lead, and just be able to go out there and throw strikes,” VanCannon said. “I’ve got some cushion and I’ve got a good defense behind me, So I just had to throw strikes and not give up free passes. That’s the best thing as a pitcher, when you know that you’ve got a big lead and all you’ve got to do is throw the ball across the plate.”

The junior did his part in delivering a complete-game shutout. He allowed three hits over his seven scoreless innings, and did not walk any batters, although two were hit by pitches. VanCannon also piled up 10 strikeouts on 101 total pitches.

“I threw a lot of fastballs. My arm felt good today and the ball was jumping out of my hand pretty good, so there were a lot of fastballs,” VanCannon said. “I was able to locate that pretty good, and then I threw my curveball, but not as much as I usually do because my fastball was working so well today. But the curveball felt good and I was able to locate it pretty good too. So it was pretty much fastball, curveball.”

After losing this same semifinal round each of the past two seasons, Coach Marlo now found himself in a position so comfortable it almost seemed like a trap. The team held a big lead, his ace was settled into a groove, and his young catcher, Zane McCardle, was coaching on the field to keep it all together.

Although only a sophomore, Zane McCardle was already catching his second game at the state tournament. Far the norm at the high school level, McCardle actually calls the pitches, calls the picks and calls the defensive situations. He takes a ton of pressure off the coaches, leading the defense and serving as an anchor for the pitching staff.

“I feel I’m pretty comfortable behind the plate,” McCardle said. “I trust our pitchers to do their job and hit their spots, and they pretty much make my job easy. I think it’s important for them to be able to trust that I’m going to be able to block and they don’t have to try and aim everything. They can just go out there and feel free to throw.”

With all these pieces clicking perfectly, Holmes County faced a tough uphill battle. Logan scored off an RBI double from Hartenstein for another run in the third, and Gabe Cobb doubled and scored on an RBI single from Holden Beauchamp in the fifth to extend the lead even further. VanCannon had his best when it was needed, and the rest was history.

It is not every game that everything goes according to plan. But for Trenton, this was more or less the case on this day. Coach Marlo got to enjoy watching his players execute to their finest on the biggest stage, and it was as rewarding as any coach could dream of.

“They’re the best players a coach could ask for,” Coach Marlo said. “They do everything and beyond. They are great kids, with great parents, and great players.”

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