This is Week 3 of the CatchMark Catch-Up for the 2023 spring sports season in the West Michigan Conference.
It’s Monday, April 24, and we’re hitting some of the highlights from last week.
Before we get into those things, it bears repeating:
- Coaches: It’s very important that you submit your game scores and recaps/details/stats to us. We use that info in a variety of content at CatchMark SportsNet, including but not limited to our Scoreboard, Player of the Week fan polls, and the Catch-Up that you’re reading now. We are not receiving scores and info from a number of coaches across the league. Please help us out, which in turn will help your athletes get exposure.
- Coaches: Please email those game scores, recaps/details/stats in a timely fashion. We are asking you submit them the day/night of the game or event. And that info should be emailed to sports@catchmarkit.com. Multiple people at CatchMark SportsNet have access to the sports@catchmarkit.com email address as we all produce varying content from it.
BASEBALL
North Muskegon topples reigning Division 2 state champ
North Muskegon’s baseball team showed its upside on Saturday in a major way, earning wins over the defending Division 2 state champ and beating a Division 1 opponent as well.
North Muskegon beat reigning D-2 state champion Forest Hills Eastern, 7-2, after the Norsemen defeated Forest Hills Central, 3-1.
Against FHE, Ryan Delora tossed a complete-game five-hitter with 10 strikeouts and three walks. Carter Meiler was 2-for-3 for the Norse with a run and an RBI. Ben Meyers had a hit and scored two runs for North Muskegon, while Delora drove in a pair of runs.
In the victory over FHC, Troy McManus fired a one-hitter with eight strikeouts and no walks. Meyers was 2-for-4 with two doubles, one run and one RBI. T.J. Byard was 1-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored.
North Muskegon, a Division 3 team, is 10-3-1 overall. The Norsemen (4-0 WMC Rivers) host Ravenna in a divisional doubleheader Tuesday.
Ravenna wins own Bulldog Invite in family reunion of sorts
Winning the title in your own tournament is always fun. It was even more special for Ravenna first-year baseball coach Andy May on Saturday.
In winning the Bulldog Invite, May’s squad beat uncle Brian Wright’s Shelby team, 9-2, before going on to edge nephew Elijah May’s Mackinaw City team, 2-1 in the finals.
In the title game, May’s freshman son, Dylan, earning the pitching win. Dylan May scattered three hits, allowed no earned runs, struck out 11 and walked just one.
Wyatt Young picked up the pitching win for Ravenna against WMC Rivers foe Shelby to start the day.
On the day, Hunter Hogan had four hits, including two doubles, for the Bulldogs (8-2 overall); Young doubled twice; and Dylan May had three hits.
Whitehall beats Vicksburg in thriller, sweeps the day
Jaden Brinkert’s sacrifice fly scored Ryne Christensen as Whitehall’s baseball team pulled out a 4-3 walk-off win over visiting Vicksburg Saturday.
It was the first of two games on the day for the Vikings (6-3), who went on to defeat Kalkaska 8-4.
Whitehall and Montague hosted Vicksburg and Kalkaska. At Montague, the Wildcats defeated Kalkaska, 13-2 in six innings, and lost to Vicksburg, 6-3.
Against Vicksburg, Taryn Hardy earned the pitching win for Whitehall with five strong innings of relief. Hardy allowed two runs (none earned) on one hit with one strikeout and one walk. Kyle Stratton had two hits and two RBIs to pace the Vikings. Brinkert played flawlessly at third base, making a half-dozen plays at the hot corner against Vicksburg.
Photos by Scott DeCamp | CatchMark
Don’t miss Montague at Whitehall in Game of the Week
On Saturday, Whitehall and Montague hosted games on their respective fields.
This Tuesday, the neighboring rivals will square off on the Vikings’ diamond.
Montague visits Whitehall in a WMC Lakes Division doubleheader. It has been selected as the CatchMark SportsNet WMC Game of the Week, meaning the first game will be livestreamed for free on our YouTube channel.
First pitch for the Game 1 livestream is set for 4 p.m. Here is the embed for the livestream:
SOFTBALL
More family ties in Ravenna-Pickford softball matchups
Steve May is a 1989 Ravenna High School alumnus who makes his home in the Upper Peninsula. He doesn’t get back “home” as much as he might like, but he did make the long trek from the U.P. last week.
May, older brother of the aforementioned Andy May and father of the aforementioned Elijah May, is an assistant coach for the Pickford softball team.
A powerhouse Ravenna team (11-0 overall) mercied Pickford in both games of Saturday’s Bulldog Invite by identical 15-0 scores. But the trip downstate was still worth it for Steve May, whose coaching staff matched wits against “Uncle Dave,” aka Ravenna head coach Dave Sherman. Ravenna assistant coach Penny Sherman is May’s aunt.
The Gillard sisters dominated for Ravenna against Pickford. Emma Gillard was 6-for-6 at the plate on the day with a double, two triples, a home run, seven runs scored, six RBIs and a no-hitter from the pitcher’s circle. Addison Gillard was 4-for-6 with two doubles, a triple, three RBIs, two runs scored and a pitching win. Riley Homoly hit her first homer of the season for the Bulldogs.
Benzie Central was scheduled to participate in the Bulldog Invite but pulled out of the event, so Ravenna and Pickford played twice.
Watch the video here, with interviews and photos captured by student reporter Kendyl Luce (Dave and Penny Sherman’s granddaughter), to hear from Steve May and Dave Sherman:
GIRLS SOCCER
North Muskegon splits matches up north
North Muskegon’s girls soccer team took a trip up north over the weekend — an opportunity for team bonding and good competition.
The Division 4 fourth-ranked Norse split the pair of games, beating Harbor Springs 3-0 on Friday and falling to Division 3 fourth-ranked Elk Rapids on Saturday, 3-1.
It’s a key week for North Muskegon in WMC play, as the Norse visit Whitehall on Wednesday and host Montague on Friday.
In case you missed it, CatchMark featured Norse senior forward Sam Johnson in the Profile of the Week on Sunday. CLICK HERE for the entire story with video and accompanying photos. You can watch the profile video here:
GIRLS TENNIS
The WMC girls tennis match between North Muskegon and Whitehall, scheduled for last Wednesday at Whitehall, was postponed because of inclement weather. It’s been rescheduled for 4 p.m. this Thursday at Whitehall.
The match was scheduled as the CatchMark SportsNet Game of the Wweek and we were set up on location to conduct a livestream, but Mother Nature had other ideas.
Unfortunately, we are unable to livestream this week’s makeup match because of scheduling conflicts.
However, we were able to catch North Muskegon tennis coach Cody Liverance dancing away the blues during the rainout. Watch this TikTok:
TRACK AND FIELD
The boys and girls track season continues to move along.
In a WMC quad last Tuesday at Whitehall, the host Vikings ran away from the competition on the boys side.
CatchMark caught up with Hart senior thrower Kellen Kimes, who continues to accomplish astonishing things.
CLICK HERE for more about Kimes and photos from the boys meet as the Vikings are highlighted. Here is the video on Kimes:
The boys golf season is just getting underway. Not as much to report here just yet, although action will be heating up soon. Next Wednesday (May 3) is the Greater Muskegon Athletic Association tournament at Stonegate Golf Club.
WINTER SPORTS PLAYER OF THE YEAR BANQUET
Saturday night, CatchMark hosted the 2022-23 WMC winter sports Player of the Year banquet at the Viking Athletic Center in Whitehall.
We livestreamed the awards portion of the banquet, just like we did during the fall sports POY banquet.
CLICK HERE for coverage from the event.
You can re-watch the awards ceremony here:
