WHITEHALL — Whitehall battled and got itself into position to push
No. 12-ranked Fruitport with just one more clutch play or clutch hit in
Saturday's district finals matchup. However, the Vikings couldn't quite
get that big hit, and took a 6-1 defeat to the Trojans in the finals.
Whitehall defeated Orchard View in the semifinals, 10-0, earlier Saturday.
"They're
a state-ranked baseball team and they played like it," Whitehall
assistant coach Zach Zweigle said of Fruitport. "They deserved to win
the district. I'm super proud
of our guys, especially our seniors. They battled today, and we just
didn't
have our best stuff. We're one clutch play away, one clutch hit away
from being right in it a couple times."
The Vikings (16-16) on
paper seemed to have caught a break when the bracket stacked up such
that the Trojans had to use their ace, Wake Forest commit Ryan Bosch, to
sneak past Oakridge, 2-0, in the semifinals. However, it turned out No.
2 pitcher Trevor Rusnak, a junior, is pretty good too, holding
Whitehall to four hits and striking out five in a complete game.
"They have a good pitching staff," Zweigle said. "There's no doubt about it."
Fruitport's Tommy Anderson (15) dodges a tag attempt by Whitehall's Evan Thomas during Saturday's district finals game at Whitehall. Anderson scored on the play, and Fruitport won 6-1.
Whitehall's
best chance to put game pressure on Fruitport came in the fourth
inning. With the Trojans ahead 2-0, Whitehall got a leadoff double from
Eli Winters. Fruitport got courtesy runner Max Krukowski out at third on
a fielder's choice, but an error and a walk loaded the bases with two
out.
However, Rusnak bore down and got a strikeout to escape
trouble. Fruitport scored three times in the bottom of the fourth, and
Whitehall's chance had passed.
"That's the
way baseball goes sometimes," Zweigle said. "It was a great season for us."
Whitehall
avoided a shutout by getting on the board in the final inning on a
Brock Morningstar RBI single, his second hit of the game. Morningstar,
who got the win against OV in the semifinals, came on in relief in the
fourth inning and pitched well, allowing one run on three hits in 2 1/3
innings.
"All
year he's been good about coming back in," Zweigle said. "He pitched
game one for us and then Myles Welch closed it out. He's been great
coming
in after he's thrown already (that day). He pounded the zone and
battled today and kept us in it."
The game marked the end of the high school careers of Viking seniors Morningstar, Welch, Cody Manzo and Nate Betz.
"I'm super proud of those guys," Zweigle said. "We finished
the second half of the season on a (nine)-game (winning) streak until this
game here. I'm super proud of the way that we turned it around."
In
the semifinals, Whitehall scored six times in the fourth inning to earn
a mercy-rule win in five innings. Morningstar had an RBI single and
Winters added a two-run single in the inning. Manzo, Betz, and Noah
Morse each scored twice. Morningstar pitched four hitless innings and
struck out six.
