Teams are beginning to dive deep into conference play around the area, and many clubs are coming out of the gates hot with early advantages in their leagues.
On Tuesday, we saw 11 area coverage teams hit the diamond against conference foes, with a few barn-burner games as well as a few blowouts from both the OK Conference and the WMC Conference.
Below, we break down some of the most notable matchups that took place on April 22nd.
Montague sweeps Lakes opponent Fremont, 4-0, 10-7
Eli Petersen is now coming off back-to-back one-hit performances on the hill after posting 13 strikeouts over Whitehall last Tuesday and now tossing seven innings against Fremont while striking out 12.
GAME ONE: In the opener, the Wildcats tallied six total hits from six different hitters. Cole Herremans scorched a two-RBI double to center in the bottom of the second to start Montague’s scoring. Petersen also recorded a double to lead off the sixth inning. He would come around to score on a passed ball. The Packers struggled to get anything going offensively, as they didn’t have an inning where more than four batters came to the plate. Fremont’s lone hit came from Collin Trouslot when he singled in the second. Montague, on the backs of Petersen and Herremans, trounced to a 4-0 win in game one.
GAME TWO: In the nightcap, Fremont looked as if they were out of the game up until the seventh inning when they came to the plate down 10-0 and spotted seven runs. Back-to-back walks turned into a two-RBI single from Seth Zerlaut. The Wildcats were just one out away after a double play, but a few more walks loaded the bases for Brenden Derks, when he came up clutch with a double. Conner McKeown closed the game with a strikeout as Montague held on for the sweep.
Bryton Belinger started on the hill for Montague; he pitched six scoreless innings and struck out 11 hitters in the process. Belinger and Fletcher Thommen each tallied two hits in the win.
Spring Lake adds two conference wins over Zeeland East, 4-1, 11-2
GAME ONE: Zeeland East came into the game undefeated at 9-0, but the Lakers would hand them their first loss on the back of Maddux Kipling, who pitched seven innings and struck out nine batters with just 78 pitches. Neither team was able to score a run for the first 3 1/2 innings until a sac fly from Zeeland East gave them its first and only run of game one. Spring Lake strung together a single and a pair of walks in the sixth that would lead to two runs, giving them a late lead. The Lakers tacked on two more in the seventh on their way to a 4-1 win.
Kipling had two hits, and Max Feltner knocked in the only RBIs for the team.
GAME TWO: Spring Lake tallied nine hits and scored 11 runs in game two, leading to an 11-2 rout win over the Chix. Ryan Grimm pitched seven innings, allowing just one earned run on eight strikeouts. Zeeland East scored both of its runs in the first and second innings, but the bats went stale soon after. The Lakers piled on four runs in the third, two in the fourth, three in the fifth, and another one in the sixth. Oliver Smies finished 2-for-4 with a triple at the dish, and Alex Batka added two hits as well.
Manistee and Oakridge split doubleheader, 5-2, 5-4
GAME ONE: Led by starter Eli Workman, the Mariners pulled off a game one win over the reigning division champion Eagles. Workman tossed seven innings, allowing just five hits and zero earned runs. In the top of the first, Oakridge starter Landon Southard picked up back-to-back punchouts. Workman would nail a two-out double followed by a walk and a triple from Mason Robinson to give Manistee a 2-0 lead early. The Mariners added one run in the third and a pair of runs in the fourth to lead 5-0. Oakridge’s Chase Dutton lined a single to center, knocking in two runs, which kept them in the game. Still leading in the bottom of the seventh, Workman retired the Eagle lineup for a 5-2 win.
GAME TWO: In the nightcap, Dutton received the nod on the mound for the Eagles. He earned the win by pitching 6 2/3 innings, giving up just one earned run and striking out five. Manistee tallied three runs in the third and one in the fifth, but nothing after that. Heading into the seventh, the Eagles trailed 4-1. After three HBPs and a single, they found themselves down just a run. Eliaz Guemene was the hero of the night after his go-ahead two-RBI double. Michael Wambaugh came on in relief in the bottom of the seventh and struck out back-to-back batters. Manistee’s Landin Sowa singled, putting the tying run on base with two outs. Wambaugh recorded his third strikeout of the inning, capping off a 5-4 comeback win from Oakridge.
OTHER RESULTS FROM AROUND THE AREA
- Whitehall wins game one over Ludington, game two delayed due to darkness
- North Muskegon sweeps Holton, Garret Moyer records 100th win as Norse manager
- Mona Shores drops game one to Byron Center, game two delayed due to darkness
- Muskegon was swept by Jenison in doubleheader
- Fruitport pitching propels them to a sweep over Godwin Heights
- Hart wins game one over Hesperia, game two delayed due to darkness
- Ravenna sweeps Mason County Central, 11-4, 3-0
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