WHITEHALL — For the second time this season, Whitehall snagged an
early lead over Oakridge as the Vikings looked for an upset in
Saturday's district semifinal. However, again the Eagles stormed back
and were too much for Whitehall, ending the Vikes' season with an 11-2
defeat.
Whitehall (14-13) was able to manufacture a couple of
runs right off the bat in the first inning with three hits and an
Eagles' error. Janie Fagan and Megan LeaTrea each got an RBI single to
put Whitehall ahead 2-0 and fire up the Viking dugout.
"In a game like that, the kids need hope and
the kids need to believe," Whitehall coach Kyle McGrew said. "Our kids do believe. It's an effect of coming
out early, getting that lead in the first inning and then
battling."
The Eagles, though, dominated West Michigan
Conference Lakes opposition all year for a reason; they never stop
coming at you. With two outs in the second inning, Oakridge unleashed a
barrage of base hits, including three doubles, that led to six runs.
Oakridge
kept adding on as the game progressed, while pitcher Kelcey Osborne
largely shut down the Vikings after the first inning. She struck out
five in five innings, allowing six hits in total.
"They've
been
an established program for years and years and years," McGrew said of
Oakridge. "It's something I idolize to build this program into someday."
Whitehall shortstop Janie Fagan gets a force out at second base as Oakridge's Tomi Jo Jimenez slides into the bag during Saturday's district semifinal in Whitehall. The Vikings lost, 11-2.
The
Eagles loom as the titan for Whitehall to conquer, though McGrew took
heart in his team's effort and said he felt the gap is narrowing between
the Vikings and the elite team in the area. Whitehall was the only team
in WMC Lakes play to hang with Oakridge this season, falling by only
two runs in the regular season (no one else in the league lost by fewer
than eight runs) and taking the early lead Saturday.
Lianne
Fagan got two hits for Whitehall in the game, and five other Vikings got
one each. Megan LeaTrea and Beth LeaTrea split the game in the circle.
The
contest marked the end of the high school careers for four Viking
seniors - LeaTrea, Lianne Fagan, Annabel Kevwitch and Bella Fogus.
McGrew, who coached them at the JV and varsity levels throughout their
careers, lauded the quartet for what they've brought to the program over
the years.
"I love and adore them," McGrew said. "Some of those kids I've coached since I was a JV coach a few years ago,
and I've had them for two years on varsity. There's
always a special bond with that first group that you see
throughout four years go through high school...They're all four
great softball players, and they're all four great for building the
culture that I wanted on this team."
In the future, Oakridge
is a good bet to remain in Whitehall's district, so the returning
Vikings will have to keep trying to climb that mountain.
"We've got to keep building," McGrew said. "Every year it's just trying to step forward, and just keep
trying to continue to close that gap."
