MONTAGUE — Montague celebrated its West Michigan Conference Lakes
championship in style Thursday, scoring a pair of impressive shutout
victories over Orchard View, 13-0 and 10-0. Each game lasted five
innings due to the mercy rule.
The conference title is the Wildcats' fourth in the last five seasons.
Bryton
Belinger pitched the 'Cats (17-8, 11-1 WMC Lakes) to a win in game one,
allowing only one hit and striking out 14. Only two balls were put in
play against him - the Cardinals' lone hit and a third-inning groundout.
Montague
ripped off seven runs in the first inning, with Ryver Jarka's two-run
triple the inning's highlight. The 'Cats added three runs in each of the
next two innings. Jarka, Belinger, Eli Petersen and Fletcher Thommen
each got two hits in the win.
Montague's Ryver Jarka fouls off a pitch during Thursday's doubleheader against Orchard View. The Wildcats won both games by shutout.
Game two was little different,
except this time it was Connor McKeown on the hill earning the victory.
McKeown allowed only three hits, struck out eight and walked none.
Belinger's
bases-loaded triple opened the scoring in the fourth inning, and
Thommen brought him in with a single. A five-run fifth inning,
highlighted by Thommen's RBI double, secured the mercy-rule win.
Belinger and Cooper Bradley each got three hits, and Thommen and Kellan Francis each had two. Bradley scored three times.
