Marty Pallman
In a battle of two unbeaten teams, Gainesville’s Leanna Bourdage and Trenton’s Addison Allaire put on a show in the pitching circle on Thursday night.
The two freshmen pitchers combined for 30 strikeouts, but a Trenton misplay made the difference.
Gainesville got a run on back-to-back errors in the bottom of the fourth, then picked up an insurance run in the sixth as the host Hurricanes stayed unbeaten with a 2-0 win over Trenton.
Gainesville improved to 9-0 behind Bourdage, a freshman right-hander. She struck out seven of the first eight Trenton batters she faced and allowed only three hits and three walks with 13 strikeouts in a pitcher’s duel with Allaire, who was Bourdage’s teammate in travel ball.
Gainesville, which won only six games in 2023, improved to 9-0 this season.
Hurricanes coach Chris Chronister knows what the major difference is for his team.
“The biggest difference is we have Leanna, who has come in as a freshman, and McKenna O’Sullivan in the circle,” Chronister said. “Your defense starts with pitching.”
O’Sullivan, who transferred to GHS from Columbia (Lake City), reached base all three times at the plate with two of Gainesville’s four hits.
On the other side, Allaire dominated early as well for Trenton (7-1). The first nine hitters she retired were by strikeout, and 17 of the 18 Hurricanes batters in the game were strikeout victims.
Gainesville left runners on in the first and second innings. They broke through against Allaire in the fourth inning. O’Sullivan led off with a double but was called out after she overran third base and was tagged. Bourdage then walked, stole second and went to third base as Trenton catcher Ella Emmons threw the ball into center field.
Gainesville’s Braylin Cook tried a squeeze play but missed the pitch, and Emmons tried to pick Bourdage off third but threw the ball into left field to bring home Bourdage for a 1-0 GHS lead.
“We knew it was going to be a low scoring game,” Chronister said. “You have to take advantage of every opportunity that they give you and we just happened to get the break this time.”
Trenton’s best opportunity came in the top of the fifth as they had runners on first and third with one out, but Bourdage retired the next two batters to get out of the jam.
Gainesville added an insurance run in the sixth on an RBI double by Cook.
The two teams will meet again in Trenton on April 5.
