Ewing beats Trenton to move into MCT bracket
TRENTON » When the Trenton and Ewing High baseball teams realized they would be the two lowest seeds for the Mercer County Tournament earlier this week, the only thing left for them to figure out was when they would be able to have their play-in game.
Since they were scheduled to meet Wednesday with few other openings in which to play before Saturday’s deadline, the two Colonial Valley Conference foes used that meeting as their MCT opener.
The only difference was that the 16th-seeded Blue Devils played host to the 17th-seeded Tornadoes at Trenton’s nicely renovated field with its beautiful, newly sodded infield.
The location did not change the Tornadoes’ fate as Trenton, which had come close to its first win Monday, saw Ewing score six times in the first inning on the way to a 12-1 victory, its second of 2018.
With the win, head coach David Angebranndt’s Blue Devils (2-11) get to play at topseeded Hopewell Valley (16-1) at 4 p.m. Monday in the first round of the county tournament.
“It’s always good to put up six runs in the first inning,” Ewing senior Nolan Brodsky said. “We came out confident today. I think we had more energy because this game meant something. We wanted to be in the tournament.”
Brodsky put the Blue Devils in the lead two batters into the bottom of the first when he singled in Dom Salvatore, who had led off with a double off Trenton starting pitcher Bryan Rivera. Brodsky also came around to score after a single by Tucker Elder and an error. A sacrifice fly by Cole McKeon plated Elder before a single by John Ulrich and an RBI double by Gregg Robbins made it, 4-0.
A balk by Rivera and another sac fly by Myron Miller helped Ewing bat around in the first inning to complete its best inning of the season in its biggest game yet.
Besides the Blue Devils’ offensive burst, junior righthanded pitcher Dakota Ditmars was keeping the Tornadoes off balance and had not allowed a hit until leadoff hitter Jefry Azcona came around a second time, singling to left field.
“I just tried to keep my head in the game,” Azcona said. “Their pitcher was not overpowering, so when I came up again, I wanted to put the bat on the ball.”
Azcona did not stop there, advancing on an error and a stolen base before scoring on Stiven Dominguez’ ground out, but that proved to be the only hit Ditmars would surrender in his first win of the season.
Brodsky, Elder and McKeon went on to drive in two runs for Ewing, which scored in each of its four innings at bat.
Trenton could not get much more going, but that did not dim Azcona’s belief in his team’s quest for its first victory.
“I know we’re going to come back,” the junior shortstop said. “We’re not dead yet.” TRENTON
abr hbi Azcona ss 3 1 1 0 JvRdrgz dh 0 0 0 0 Roldan c 2 0 0 0 Domngz 1b 2 0 0 1 Vasqz 2b-p 2 0 0 0 Cruz rf 1 0 0 0 Barreto 3b 1 0 0 0 JrRdrgz ph 0 0 0 0 MGarcia lf 1 0 0 0 Fundrbrg cf 2 0 0 0 Estevez 2b 0 0 0 0 Rivera p 0 0 0 0 Totals 14 1
Trenton (0-14) Ewing (2-11)
1 1 E — Funderburg, Oshel; DP — Ewing 1; LOB — Trenton 3, Ewing 7; 2B — Salvatore, Robbins 2; 3B — Ditmars;
SF — McKeon 2, MMiller; SB — Azcona, Salvatore, Elder; CS — Cruz.
IP HR ER BB SO TRENTON
Rivera L,0-4
Vasquez
EWING
Ditmars W,1-5 5.0 1 1 1 2 6 HbP- by Rivera (Salvatore 2, Brodsky, Elder), by Ditmars (JrRodriguez, MGarcia); WP — Rivera; Balk — Rivera.
2.2 1.1 EWING
abr hbi Salvtre 2b 2 2 1 0 Brdsky dh 3 1 2 2 Elder rf 1212 Lwrnce 1b 2 1 0 0 Oshel 1b 1000 McKeon cf 1 1 1 2 Ulrich ss 3110 Robbins c 3021 Figueroacr 0 1 0 0 MMiller lf 1001 Basich crlf 0 2 0 0 Ditmars p 2011 Yarson cr 0100 Htchnsn3b 0 0 0 0 Totals 19 12 9 9
6 3
00010—1 621 3x — 12
9 3
7 3
2 2
0 2