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CatchMark Catch-Up highlights West Michigan Conference spring sports (May 8, 2023)

Coaches: Please help us by reporting your scores and recaps, but also give us a heads-up on cool stories.

This is Week 5 of the CatchMark Catch-Up for the 2023 spring sports season in the West Michigan Conference.

It’s Monday, May 8, and we’re hitting some of the highlights from last week.

Before we get into those things, please consider this public service announcement:

  • 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.

SOFTBALL

Ravenna defeated Oakridge, 13-2, in the Greater Muskegon Athletic Association Tier 1 softball finals Saturday, May 6, 2023, at Reeths-Puffer’s Legacy Field in Muskegon, Mich. (Scott DeCamp | CatchMark)

Ravenna dominant in winning second straight GMAA Tier 1 title

Ravenna’s softball team outscored three opponents a combined 47-4 and finished with 47 hits on the day as the Bulldogs won the Greater Muskegon Athletic Association Tier 1 tournament title for the second straight year Saturday at Reeths-Puffer.

In the tourney finals, Ravenna defeated Oakridge, 13-2. Bulldogs senior Emma Gillard went 3-for-4 with a three-run home run and a double and she scored three runs to lead her team. She also picked up the pitching win.

Sophomore Emma Herremans hit for the cycle and drove in seven runs in Ravenna’s 19-0 pool-play victory over Mona Shores. Herremans doubled, tripled and drove in three runs in the Bulldogs’ 15-2 pool-play win over Holton.

Ravenna is 21-1 overall on the season, while Oakridge is 15-5. The teams are ranked honorable mention in Division 3 and Division 2, respectively. Holton is No. 4 in Division 4.

CLICK HERE for complete coverage, including photos and video highlights/reaction.

Maddie Balon leads North Muskegon to GMAA Tier 2 tourney title

North Muskegon junior Maddie Balon earned two pitching wins, plus she homered and hit two doubles, in leading the Norse to the GMAA Tier 2 tournament title Saturday.

North Muskegon defeated Montague in its first game, 8-3, then the Norse blanked Whitehall in the finals at Muskegon Community College, 10-0.

CLICK HERE for more details and reaction from Norse coach Matt Houseman, whose team is now 10-8 on the season.

North Muskegon defeated Whitehall, 10-0, in the Greater Muskegon Athletic Association Tier 2 softball tournament finals at Muskegon Community College Saturday, May 6, 2023, in Muskegon, Mich. (Courtesy of Heidi Houseman)

BASEBALL

North Muskegon defeated Mona Shores, 12-2 in six innings, in the Greater Muskegon Athletic Association baseball tournament finals Saturday, May 6, 2023, at Marsh Field in Muskegon, Mich. (Scott DeCamp | CatchMark)

North Muskegon ends Mona Shores’ GMAA stranglehold

Led by strong pitching throughout the day, North Muskegon’s baseball team captured the Greater Muskegon Athletic Association tournament championship Saturday.

In the finals at Marsh Field, the Norsemen won 12-2 in six innings against Mona Shores, which had won the previous four GMAA titles and 10 of the past 11. Norse senior Troy McManus picked up the pitching win and he helped his own cause with a double and three RBIs.

In the semifinals, also at Marsh, North Muskegon junior Ryan Delora pitched a three-hit gem in a 6-0 victory over Reeths-Puffer.

To start the day, North Muskegon rallied for a 4-3 win over Whitehall on the Norse’s field in a game shortened to 5 1/2 innings because of the tourney’s time limit.

CLICK HERE for complete coverage, including photos and video highlights/reaction.

GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD

Whitehall senior Maelie Hope, left, and Orchard View alumna Ashley Swainston-Westerlund pose for a picture after Hope broke Swainston-Westerlund’s Greater Muskegon Athletic Association record in discus with a toss of 141 feet, 1 inch, on Friday, May 5, 2023, at Mona Shores’ Sailor Stadium in Norton Shores, Mich. (Courtesy of Whitehall athletics)

Maelie Hope powers Whitehall to GMAA championship

Whitehall senior Maelie Hope won four individual events to power the Vikings to the team championship in the Greater Muskegon Athletic Association meet Friday at Mona Shores’ Sailor Stadium.

Hope break the GMAA meet record in discus with a toss of 141 feet, 1 inch, which eclipsed the record previously held by Ashley Swainston-Westerlund, an Orchard View alumna, who was on hand for the feat. Hope also won shot put with a heave of 41-4.5, plus she hustled over to the track to race to first-place finishes in the 100-meter dash (12.81 seconds) and 200 dash (26.68).

Hope accounted for 40 of Whitehall’s 93 total points, as the Vikings held off runner-up Mona Shores by 10 points.

CLICK HERE for complete coverage, including photos and video highlights/reaction.

BOYS TRACK AND FIELD

Whitehall’s girls and boys track and field teams both won championships at the Greater Muskegon Athletic Association meet Friday, May 5, 2023, at Mona Shores’ Sailor Stadium in Norton Shores, Mich. (Scott DeCamp | CatchMark)

Deep and talented Whitehall squad runs away with GMAA championship

It was no secret, Whitehall’s deep and talented boys track and field team was going to win Friday’s Greater Muskegon Athletic Association meet at Mona Shores’ Sailor Stadium.

The question was, by how many points would the Vikings win?

Whitehall left no doubt, piling up a whopping 188 points to beat the rest of the field by 114 points. Rival Montague was runner-up with 74 points.

Nine different individuals won events for Whitehall, plus the Vikings took first place in three of the four relays.

CLICK HERE for complete coverage, including photos and video highlights/reaction.

BOYS GOLF

Whitehall’s Brady Tate putts during the Greater Muskegon Athletic Association boys golf tournament Wednesday, May 3, 2023, at Lincoln Golf Club in Muskegon, Mich. (Scott DeCamp | CatchMark)

Led by Brady Tate, Whitehall finishes runner-up in GMAA tourney

Led by sophomore Brady Tate’s third-place individual finish at 8-over 80, Whitehall’s boys golf team finished runner-up in the Greater Muskegon Athletic Association tournament Wednesday at Lincoln Golf Club.

Whitehall shot 345 on the day as a team. Mona Shores was the tourney champ for the fourth straight season, firing a 320. Senior Nicholas Taylor earned medalist honors with a 1-over 73 to pace the Sailors.

CLICK HERE for coverage of the event, including photos and videos.

Golf a special link between Montague golf coach Brad Tate and son Brady of rival Whitehall

Brad Tate coaches Montague’s boys golf team, while son Brady is a sophomore standout for Whitehall’s squad.

Many times, they’ll be competing in the same events.

That was the case during the GMAA tourney Wednesday at Lincoln Golf Club. CatchMark caught up with father and son and discussed the special link that golf provides for them.

CLICK HERE for the story and video.

Ravenna dual-sport duo makes golf/baseball double dip work

Wednesday was a busy day for Ravenna’s Drew Mabrito and Dylan May.

Their day started by competing with Ravenna’s boys golf team in the GMAA tournament at Lincoln Golf Club. Mabrito finished in the top 10 individually to helping the Bulldogs place sixth as a team.

Following the 18-hole golf tourney, Mabrito and May headed to Hesperia to join their Ravenna baseball team for a West Michigan Conference Rivers Division doubleheader at Hesperia. Ravenna swept Hesperia, 14-4 and 5-3.

CLICK HERE for the story as well as photos and a video.

GIRLS TENNIS

Photos by Scott DeCamp | CatchMark

GMAA tournament suspended until this Wednesday

The 2023 Greater Muskegon Athletic Association girls tennis tournament, hosted by Mona Shores, was well underway Saturday when rain forced the event to be postponed.

North Muskegon and Whitehall are representing the West Michigan Conference in the event.

According to North Muskegon coach Cody Liverance, the event is scheduled to resume this Wednesday (May 10). An exact time and location were yet to be announced, but Liverance mentioned 2 p.m. at Mona Shores High School as a possibility.

GIRLS SOCCER

Montague defeated Whitehall, 8-0, in a cold and rainy West Michigan Conference girls soccer match Monday, May 1, 2023, in Montague, Mich. It was the CatchMark SportsNet WMC Game of the Week. (Scott DeCamp | CatchMark)

Montague routs rival Whitehall in Game of the Week

Montague’s girls soccer team accomplished a feat the program hadn’t achieved since 2000: The Wildcats defeated rival Whitehall.

Montague scored early and often in an 8-0 mercy-rule victory over Whitehall last Monday at Montague in the CatchMark SportsNet West Michigan Conference Game of the Week.

As part of the Game of the Week series, the contest was livestreamed by CatchMark SportsNet. You can watch a replay of the stream below.

CLICK HERE for complete coverage, including photos and a highlights/reaction video.

Lead writer for CatchMark SportsNet and Web Services leader for CatchMark Technologies.

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