MONTAGUE — Whitehall was aggressive on the bases and took advantage of Montague miscues throughout Tuesday's rivalry doubleheader, scoring a pair of victories by scores of 22-1 and 22-6.
Game one lasted five innings before the Vikings poured on 13 runs to secure the win by mercy rule. The game was close through two innings - Whitehall led 3-1 - and it wasn't until the fourth that the Vikings opened the floodgates with five runs.
Whitehall collected 19 hits in the game, and Jersie Peterson's two-run home run in the fourth was part of the late surge that helped the Vikings lock down the win. Janie Fagan's RBI double was the lone extra-base knock for Whitehall in the 13-run fifth.
The Vikes never hesitated to take off when the ball came loose in the Montague infield, and between that, some big hits and the 10 walks they drew at the plate, it was a productive opener.
Kayden Johnson, playing her first game against Montague after previously being a Wildcat, got three hits and scored three times. Ryleigh Smith had three hits and four RBI, and Fagan also got three hits. Peterson, Toree Carlson, Aubree Burrous and Emily Ames had two hits apiece. Peyton Schultz stole three bases and scored twice.
Beth LeaTrea got the win, allowing only one hit and striking out nine.
Shoshi Fouser got that one hit for the Wildcats, and Addison Hall scored Montague's run.
Whitehall didn't wait as long to get rolling in game two, piling up 17 first-inning runs and ending the contest in three innings. Montague did have a little more offensive success and had a 2-0 lead after its first at-bat before Whitehall exploded into the lead.
Johnson and Emily Hawkins each had run-scoring doubles in the first inning as part of the outburst, and the Vikings took advantage of walks and wild pitches to get a lot of baserunners. In all, Whitehall drew nine walks to go with seven hits.
Hawkins had three hits and two RBI in the win, and Fagan had two hits and two RBI. Ames and LeaTrea scored three times each. Ames got the win in the circle.
The 'Cats got three hits and drew five walks. Lauren Wright had a RBI single, and Fouser had a hit and two RBI. Alanna Hysell threw a scoreless inning of relief, striking out one.
"It is always a good day when you win the rivalry and get a couple of conference wins," Whitehall coach Kyle McGrew said. "We will enjoy the win for 24 hours and then it is time to go back to work and get ready for the next game. We still have a lot of room for improvement and things to work on, but these wins are always something we want as program."
