Trenton Defeats Wyandotte in Early League Battle

opened Downriver League action on Monday with a 2-0 win at .

The Trojans (3-0, 1-0) and Bears (1-1, 0-1) both had their best starting pitchers on the mound Monday, with senior Blake Wojtala on the hill for Trenton and senior Devon Jones going for Roosevelt.

Both hurlers were sharp, with each of them tossing a complete game. The Trojans, however, were able to manufacture two runs against Jones in the seventh to break a scoreless tie and Wojtala ultimately captured the shutout victory.

To start the seventh inning, Trojans senior Derek Berger walked. A Roosevelt throwing error on a bunt by the next hitter, senior Guy Ellis, and an intentional walk to senior Chad Hamilton left the bases loaded for Trenton with no outs.

Trojans senior Eric Trombley then stepped to the plate and flied out to right field. The fly ball gave Berger, who was on third base, a chance to tag up and score, giving his team a 1-0 lead.

Trombley, who had the game’s only RBI with the sacrifice fly, said he was happy with how his team performed in the final inning to get the victory, and he is optimistic about what the squad can accomplish this year.

“It felt good, we came on strong,” Trombley said of the win. "I feel good (about the season), we’re looking good, we’ve got a lot of seniors, a lot of pitchers.”

A base-running miscue by Trenton senior Guy Ellis later in the seventh inning actually resulted in him scoring the team’s second run.

Ellis, who was on third, strayed too far from the base. The Bears, however, mismanaged the rundown attempt to get him out and Ellis was able to safely cross the plate.

In the bottom of the seventh, Roosevelt threatened to score after Jones was walked, but with two outs, Wojtala posted his 11th strikeout of the afternoon to end the game. 

With the Trenton hitters struggling to get on base, coach Gary Szalka said he told his team, before the start of the seventh inning, to be more selective when choosing pitches to swing at, a strategy that he said ultimately worked.

“We came through in the seventh,” Szalka said. “I told them to start taking some pitches. We (then) got a walk and we got that bunt down... so it opened the door for us.”

Szalka, who is a Trenton assistant coach, was filling in Monday for his son Todd Szalka, who is the Trenton head coach. Todd Szalka was with his wife celebrating the birth of their second child, who was born on Sunday.

A Look Back and a Look Ahead

Trenton opened the season last Saturday by sweeping a double header against Dearborn Heights Annapolis, winning the first game 3-2 and the second game 8-3. The Trojans next play on Wednesday, traveling to Allen Park for a 4 p.m. game against the Jaguars.