SHELBY – One of the best baseball squads in the West Michigan Conference (WMC) Rivers Division swept Shelby Tuesday, April 16. The Tigers gave a valiant effort, but ultimately came up short in a pair of losses to North Muskegon.
The Norse made it tough on Shelby in game one, taking a 5-0 advantage in the top of the first inning. The Tigers clawed back however, working to within one by the end of the second inning.
North Muskegon shut the door after that point, shutting down Shelby’s offense completely. The Tigers failed to score another run in that game, while North Muskegon added six more to their total to bring the final tally to 11-4.
DayDay Garcia picked up the loss after six innings of work on the mound, allowing nine runs on 14 hits, and adding eight strikeouts. Eli Kelley worked in a partial inning on the mound, allowing three hits and two runs with one strikeout.
Offensively, Garcia led with two hits and one run batted in (RBI). Kelley and Evan Waller each recorded a hit, while Chase Simon was the only other Tiger to notch an RBI.
The nightcap game was much slower than the first, resulting in a 5-1 victory in favor of the Norse.
Shelby got out to an early lead, taking a 1-0 advantage in the top of the first, courtesy of a double from Cam Smith. North Muskegon quickly jumped on top in the bottom of the first, never looking back.
Smith pitched six innings, picking up the loss with five runs earned on four hits, adding five strikeouts.
Garcia, Smith and Waller had the Tigers’ only three hits of the second game.
The pair of losses pushed Shelby to 4-2 on the year. The Tigers now sit at 2-2 in the WMC Rivers.
