Trenton beats rain and GHS

Trenton's Brant Bivens beats the first-inning throw to Gainesville's Jesus Canizalez at second base on Tuesday.
Photo by C.J. Gish

Trenton scored a first-inning run and used pitching and big defensive plays to stay ahead of Gainesville on Tuesday night.

The visiting Tigers also had to beat the weather, and they got that done as well.

Eighth-grader Mason Vuncannon and senior Colby Wilson scattered four hits and combined for eight strikeouts and Vuncannon drove in the only run of the game on a first-inning double as visiting 1A Trenton held on for a 1-0 win over 5A Gainesville.

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Photo by C.J. Gish Trenton pitcher Mason Vuncannon started on the mound for the Tigers and picked up the win over Gainesville on Tuesday.

The Tigers managed only three hits against Gainesville pitchers Josh Morison and Colton Kelly, but two of those hits came in the first inning to lead to the only run Trenton (12-2) would need.

Morison walked eighth-grader Brant Bivens leading off the game. Bivens then stole second and advanced to third base on a groundout. With two outs, Vuncannon drove in Bivens with a double to center field.

“We were real fortunate that the one run held up,” Trenton coach Scott Hall said. “Our pitchers did a really good job of challenging their hitters and that was enough to win the game.”

Vuncannon (4-0) retired the first five Gainesville hitters before sophomore Kellen Brown singled with two outs. Vuncannon retired the next batter to end the second with Trenton still up 1-0.

Then the rains came. Heavy wind, rain and lightning in the area caused a 45-minute delay. But the weather moved through quickly and the game resumed with Kelly replacing Morison on the mound. Kelly walked three and hit a batter but allowed only one Trenton hit and struck out seven in five innings of relief.

Gainesville (4-7) knocked Vuncannon from the game in the fourth inning. After Tyler Guarino reached base on a dropped pop up, Nate Kemph walked and Morison singled to center. But Zaiden Bon took the relay throw from Johnny Scott and threw out Guarino at the plate to keep the Tigers up a run. Wilson then struck out Brown with two on to end the inning.

“If we don’t drop that pop up, Mason is still in there,” Hall said. “We didn’t want him to lose the game so we got him out of there.”

Wilson struck out the first five Hurricanes batters he faced, and Trenton added two double plays in the final two innings to hold on for the win.

On Thursday, Trenton travels to Chiefland while Gainesville hosts North Marion (Citra).

Photo by C.J. Gish Gainesville catcher Jackson Dugan runs down Trenton’s Mason Vuncannon for the third out of the first inning on Tuesday.

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