Bozeman Bulldozes Trenton To Return To State Finals

The Bucks celebrate after adding another run in the fifth inning.

The Bozeman Bucks took all the drama out of the result with a convincing shutout victory over the Trenton Tigers in Wednesday’s Class 1A state semifinal. Bozeman took control early on, before busting out with four runs in each of the fourth and fifth innings to run away with a 10-0 win over the Tigers, at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers.

The Bucks now find themselves back in a familiar place, in reaching the Class 1A title game for the second time in the last three seasons. Bozeman (27-3) also made it to the final in 2022, before falling to the Holmes County Blue Devils. Now the team has another chance at its first state title in program history, and that outcome will be decided when the Bucks face the Jay Royals on Thursday afternoon at Hammond.

Jay (18-10) reached the finals with a 4-2 comeback win over the Lafayette Hornets. The Royals will also be competing for their first state title on Thursday, meaning one of these teams will reach that accomplishment.

The Bucks wrapped up their victory in five short innings, via the mercy rule.

No comeback was needed by the Bucks, who led nearly the entire way after taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Zack Flitcraft led off the game by working the count and earning himself an infield single on a 1-2 count on the eighth pitch of the at bat. Brooks Skipper followed with a single to the shortstop, and then both base runners advanced into scoring position on a ground out from Larry Street. Starting pitcher Trey Power then backed his own cause with an RBI single to right that drove in Flitcraft with the deciding run.

The Bucks had plenty more runs in them. Street scored again in the third on an RBI single from Austin Goodwin, and he then drove in the next run with a bases-loaded RBI walk in the fourth that plated Blake Waites. Lane Hathaway followed with an RBI the tough way, after getting hit by a pitch with the bases still full. Goodwin sent Street in for the second time with an RBI single to first, and Austin Purdie added an RBI single to left that pushed it to a 6-0 lead.

Four unearned runs in the fifth ended things early via the mercy rule. Skipper drive in Waites and Flitcraft with a two-RBI triple, and Street capped off his big day with an RBI single to left that drove Skipper in. Carson Parker next crossed the plate after tagging up from third on a sac-fly RBI off the bat of Goodwin, ending the contest.

The Tigers were left reeling after Bozeman erupted for 10 runs on 13 hits in less than five innings of play.

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