Montague was unable to replicate its 2024 district upset of North
Muskegon Saturday, losing 11-2 to the No. 2-ranked Norsemen in the
semifinals at Ravenna.
The Wildcats (19-11) had visions of
another dramatic district title in their eyes when they tied the score
at 2 in the fourth inning, fueled by a tying RBI infield single by Jack
Degen. However, North Muskegon stormed back with two runs of its own in
the fifth and added five more in the sixth to pull away, taking
advantage of seven Montague errors in the game.
Montague
struggled to get offense going against the Norsemen's ace, Dartmouth
commit Logan Slimko, who recorded 14 strikeouts and allowed just two
hits in six innings. Cooper Bradley got a hit, walked twice, stole three
bases and scored a run.
Bryton Belinger was the victim of
most of those errors, allowing only four hits and eight runs (none
earned) in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out seven.
