Photos by Scott DeCamp | CatchMark
WHITEHALL — Victories have been a bit tough to come by for Oakridge’s baseball team in the early going of the 2024 season.
But the Eagles picked up two big ones this week in West Michigan Conference Lakes Division play, even if it required two different trips to Whitehall in four days.
Much like in Oakridge’s 4-2, nine-inning victory over Whitehall in Game 1 Tuesday, the Eagles used timely hitting and tough pitching to secure the WMC Lakes sweep of the Vikings with a 6-4 win in the completion of Game 2 Friday.
Game 2 began Tuesday but it was suspended because of darkness with Whitehall leading Oakridge 2-1 in the top of the third inning.
Oakridge improves to 3-5 overall and 3-1 in the WMC Lakes. The Eagles settled for a road split with Ludington last week. Oakridge is scheduled to be back in action Tuesday at home against Fremont in a divisional doubleheader.
Meanwhile, Whitehall is 4-3 overall and 0-2 in the WMC Lakes. The Vikings are scheduled to be back on the field Saturday morning when they host Zeeland East and Bay City John Glenn in what are sure to be stiff tests. Whitehall visits arch-rival Montague for a WMC Lakes doubleheader on Tuesday.
In Friday’s resumption of Game 2, Oakridge’s Jullian Primmer and Brody Jennings were the story of the day. Primmer delivered two hits and four RBIs as the Eagles scored five runs in their four innings at the plate. On the mound, right-hander Jennings had what coach Brandon Barry called his “sharpest outing of the year” in allowing two earned runs, striking out 11, and walking one.
For Whitehall, Kyle Stratton had two hits and scored two runs, while Eli Winters also had a pair of hits.
In Tuesday’s Game 1, Jennings and Noah MacFadyen both had RBI singles in the ninth inning to lift Oakridge. Jennings and Primmer collected two hits apiece for the Eagles in the game, while left-hander Landon Southard picked up the win in relief with no runs on three hits, five strikeouts, and three walks in 3 1/3 innings.
Whitehall’s Noah Meinert, Ryne Christensen, and Ryan Goodrich had doubles in Game 1.
Photos by Emily Vanderstelt for CatchMark
