Connect with us

Baseball

Pitching powers North Muskegon: Norse wrestle GMAA baseball title away from Mona Shores

Norsemen get dominant efforts by Ryan Delora and Troy McManus, the latter in a 12-2 win vs. the Sailors.

MUSKEGON — When a baseball team has a 1-2 pitching punch like Ryan Delora and Troy McManus — make that a 1 and 1a punch — that tends to bode well.

When said team is able to line up that pitching the way it wants in a day-long marathon, then it’s very tough to beat.

That was North Muskegon in Saturday’s Greater Muskegon Athletic Association tournament. The Norsemen rode the arms of Delora and McManus at Marsh Field, capped by a 12-2, six-inning victory over perennially tough Mona Shores in the tourney finals.

North Muskegon (19-5-1) had to rally to get past West Michigan Conference opponent Whitehall in the GMAA quarterfinals Saturday morning, 4-3 in a time-limited, 5 1/2-inning game on the Norse’s field.

Once the Norsemen got to Marsh Field, it was time for Delora and McManus to put on a show. Delora, a junior right-hander, tossed a three-hit shutout in a 6-0 semifinals win over Reeths-Puffer. He struck out 11 and walked two. McManus, a senior left-hander, allowed two runs on three hits with nine strikeouts and four walks in 5 2/3 innings in the finals.

“We always talk about just being a dog, and that’s what they are — their mentality is to just shove it and make teams beat ’em,” North Muskegon coach Garret Moyer said. ” … If you throw strikes, you’re going to be in good shape and that’s what Ryan and Troy do. They don’t walk kids. They give us a shot. I’m extremly proud of (those) two.”

Photos by Scott DeCamp | CatchMark

Mona Shores (17-4) was going for its fifth straight GMAA title. The Sailors had won 10 of the previous 11 GMAAs entering their matchup against the Norsemen.

Earlier in the day, Mona Shores defeated Muskegon Catholic Central in the GMAA quarterfinals (8-3) and Fruitport in the semifinals (5-1).

Mona Shores ace Jaxon Huffman, a senior Michigan State signee who has been clocked in the low- to mid-90s on the radar gun, was unable to pitch Saturday because the Sailors have a big OK Green Conference doubleheader against Zeeland East on Tuesday.

Jaden Thomas got the start in the GMAA finals for Mona Shores and North Muskegon wasted no time jumping on the Sailors. The Norsemen scored seven first-inning runs, which gave McManus all the cushion he needed to get the job done on the mound.

McManus helped his own cause with a double and three RBIs. Junior Ben Meyers was 2-for-2 with a triple and four runs scored. Senior Carsen Moat was 3-for-3 with two runs scored. Senior Denny Belmonte had a hit and drove in two runs.

In the win over Reeths-Puffer, McManus went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Meyers was 2-for-4 with a triple, two RBIs and two runs.

Norse senior cleanup hitter Sam Gallo did not play Saturday because he turned his ankle during batting practice Friday. Sophomore James Young has not played all season because he’s coming off shoulder surgery and he wants to be 100 percent ready to go for football season as the Norse quarterback.

Photos by Scott DeCamp | CatchMark

The win over Division 1 Mona Shores is another feather in the cap for North Muskegon, which is ranked No. 13 in the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association Division 3 poll. A couple weeks ago, the Norse toppled Division 1 Forest Hills Central (3-1) and reigning Division 2 state champion Forest Hills Eastern (7-2).

“I think it shows everybody in the locker room that no matter who’s on the other side, we can compete,” McManus said. “I think that just helps to build a lot of confidence coming into the playoffs. We’re going to see teams that are maybe ranked in the state or whatever and we hadn’t seen them before but we know we can hang around with them.”

North Muskegon has more championships in its sights. The Norse are poised to run away with the WMC Rivers Division title, and they’ve got their eyes on districts, regionals and beyond.

It’s been a long-time goal for the Norsemen to get to Michigan State University’s McLane Stadium for the state finals.

“I’d say district title, regional title and then we’re going all the way to states is what we’re aiming for,” Belmonte said.

@catchmark.sportsnet

The future of North Muskegon baseball (coach Garret Moyer’s 3-year-old son) meets the present (old man, 19-year-old senior Denny Belmonte). #fyp #CatchMark #catchmarksportsnet #foryoupage #csn #wmc #gmaa #northmuskegon #baseball

♬ Happy Birthday – OctaSounds

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

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Must See

More in Baseball