TRENTON — A heavyweight matchup between two of the state’s top softball teams happened right in Downriver Thursday afternoon as Trenton welcomed in Allen Park.
Allen Park came in looking to make it three straight wins overall and seven in their first eight games of the season. Trenton meanwhile, playing their third game in four days this week, was hoping to rebound from a tough loss at home vs Gibraltar Carlson on Tuesday.
The hometown Trojans got the much-needed bounce-back performance on Thursday. An early ambush offensively coupled with a strong pitching performance from Hannah Feijoo led the hosts to a big 5-1 victory over the visiting Jags, in what was a battle of state-ranked foes.
PHOTO GALLERY: Softball – Allen Park vs Trenton
It's a noteworthy and historical win of sorts for Trenton, who prior to Thursday had not beaten Allen Park in softball since 2015.
Thursday was also merely the latest bout between the two rivals where both sides were ranked. Allen Park was a preseason honorable mention in Division 1 while Trenton checked in at No. 8 in D2 by the Michigan High School Softball Coaches Association.
The final score from Thursday is also a welcomed sign for Trenton, who coming in had saw their pitching staff allow on average more than eight runs a game. That included being on the wrong side of a 10-5 score against Carlson just two days prior.
But starting pitcher Hannah Feijoo was very much locked in from the first pitch. The junior hurler for the Trojans ended up allowing just one run on seven hits -- all singles -- while issuing no free passes over her seven innings of work.
Feijoo, in particular, was strong in neutralizing the top part of the Allen Park order. The Jags' No. 1-4 hitters of Makayla Sitarski, Kiley Carr, Avery Garden, and Mallory Hool to a combined 3-for-13 effort with both Sitarski and Garden going hitless.
Meanwhile, the bats for the Trojans did all of their work early as they ambushed Allen Park starter Melody Filipiak, touching up the junior for all five of their runs in the first two frames.
And it was their top of the lineup doing all of the damage.
In the first, it was RBI hits from London Williams and Alexis Klonica putting the hosts up 2-0 early. Williams' hit plated Annika Segedi, who led off the rally with a double down the left field line. Trenton then opened things up in the second with a bases-clearing double off the bat of Molly Edmunds with two outs.
Filipiak eventually settled in on the mound, retiring the next seven batters in order and allowing just three singles the rest of the way. Unfortunately, the damage was already done and the offense could not make up for the early deficit.
The top third of the order for Trenton of Segedi, Williams, and Edmunds combined to go 6-for-8 with four runs and four runs batted in. Williams also drew a base on balls in the win.
The lone run of the game for Allen Park came in the top of the fourth with two outs on a base hit from Addison Tavulares. That scored Bailey McCalister, who turned in a three-hit game in the loss.
The Jags weren't entirely void of scoring chances elsewhere in the contest as they finished with eight hits as a team. They stranded a baserunner in each of the first four frames and then had runners on the corners in the sixth before grounding into an inning-ending double play.
Carr joined McCalister in the multi-hit department with a 2-for-3 day at the dish.
UP NEXT
Trenton (4-3-1, 3-1 DRL) is back in action this Saturday, April 20 when they bring in Monroe St Mary Catholic Central for a non-conference matinee doubleheader (11:00a / 1:00p). The Trojans will then jump back into DRL play on Monday, Apr 22 when they host Lincoln Park (4:00p).
Allen Park (6-2, 3-1 DRL) will not take the field again until Tuesday, Apr 23 when they welcome in another state power in D1 No. 8 Rochester Hills Stoney Creek (4:45p). That'll be the first of three games in three days for the Jags, who then play DRL foes Dearborn Edsel Ford on the road (4:30p) and Southgate Anderson at home (4:30p) each of the following two days.
