The Trenton baseball team was one strike away from winning the FHSAA Rural state title on Thursday night at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers.
But then fate stepped in.
Union County scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to send the game into extra innings, then walked it off in the bottom of the eighth inning to win it, 10-9.
It was their first state title since 2012.
“That’s gonna be hard to beat for the rest of the guys that’s playing this week, probably one of the best state championship games we’ve seen here in the state, I mean I haven’t seen all of them, but I know that that’s gonna be up there,” said Union County coach Jiwan James. “I’ve just got to give it up it for my boys. They never quit.”
Trenton (23-6) was one strike away from winning it in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Relief pitcher Noah Owens recorded the first two outs of the inning, but Union County (24-7) had four consecutive hits, followed by an error, to plate three runs.
“Kind of lost for words,” said Trenton coach Chris Marlo, whose team defeated defending state champion Holmes County (Bonifay) in the state semifinals. “Don’t really know what to say. Needed one more out. So, yeah, one of the few times I’m lost for words.”
Junior Kendall Carter started the rally with the bases empty.
“We had two outs and I went up there and I got two strikes on me,” Carter said. “Coach Jiwan is always talking about staying short to the baseball and putting it in play and all I was thinking was, stay as short as I possibly can and shoot it up the middle, and that’s exactly what happened.”
Senior Erick Lasseter, who threw a complete game victory against Cottondale in the state semifinals, followed with an RBI single to get Union County within two, 9-7, and then senior Evan Christmas added an RBI double to make it 9-8.
Senior Jasen Sullivan grounded a ball to shortstop and reached base on an infield hit but the throw by Bivens got by his first baseman, scoring Christmas with the tying run.
Carter, who hasn’t given up a run all season in 20 innings pitched, retired six of the seven batters he faced, setting the heroics for the bottom of the eighth inning.
Senior shortstop Wesley Crockett led off the inning with a single to center field against junior reliever Pierson Weatherilt, followed by a walk by senior center fielder Jeffrey Brugh.
Senior Nate Robertson was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs.
Carter hit a short fly ball to right field that was caught and it appeared Trenton would have a play at the plate, but the throw in was deflected by Weatherilt and Crockett scored the winning run.
“Never a doubt,” Crockett said. “As soon as I saw the ball in the air, I knew I was coming in hard. If the ball beat me there, I was gonna break it up, do anything I could to score.”
It was a rollercoaster of emotions as both teams exchanged punches early.
Trenton took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first on an RBI groundout by Weatherilt (1-fo-5, RBI, RS), but Union County answered in the bottom of the first on an RBI single by Lasseter (2-for-4, 2 RBI).
The visiting Tigers reclaimed the lead on an RBI single by Owens (1-for-5, RBI) for a 2-1 lead.
However, Union County exploded for four runs in the bottom of the second inning for a 5-2 lead.
With two outs, Crockett had an RBI single, Robertson (2-for-2, 2 RBI, 2 RS) singled home two runs, and Carter (3-for-4, 2 RBI) doubled down the first base line for a 3-run lead.
Trenton came right back with five of their own in the top of the third inning as Bivens (2-for-4, 3 RBI, RS) singled to drive in two and a passed ball scored the final run of the inning for a 7-5 lead.
“It was a good game,” Marlo said. “Tough one to lose, right there. I hate it for our guys. I always hate these games where they’re decided by one run, because then one player feels like he may have cost them the game, or his team the game, and it’s not about that. There are multiple plays, multiple situations in the game that really determine the outcome, not just one play.”
Union County added a run in the sixth on a groundout by freshman second baseman Westyn Miller to make it a 3-run game, and the Tigers scored five runs in the final three innings to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
“Once we gave up the big inning, we were down four, I just tried to keep my composure because obviously they’re going to follow me,” James said. “So, I just tried to let them know that we were fine and just chip away at them and we would be there in the end. I mean, I didn’t think it was going to come with two outs, nobody on. I didn’t think it was going to be quite that hard, but hey, they kept fighting and state champs.”
