WHITEHALL — It only took two big innings for Whitehall to dispatch
Orchard View by mercy rule, 15-0, in Tuesday's pre-district game.
Whitehall
(14-12) scored in two of the four innings played, but the Vikings made
those count, with a five-run first inning and a 10-run explosion in the
fourth to end the game due to the 15-run mercy rule.
Annabel
Kevwitch got the scoring started for Whitehall with a three-run home run
in the first inning following a Lianne Fagan single and Bella Fogus
being hit by a pitch.
OV, which went winless in the West
Michigan Conference Lakes this season, managed to keep Whitehall off the
board in the second and third innings, but the Viking bats came back to
life in the fourth, racking up hits and walks and also taking advantage
of some Cardinal miscues. After Bella Fogus kick-started the ambush by
scoring a run, Peyton Schultz hit a single that led to Megan LeaTrea
scoring a run. Ryleigh Smith added a run-scoring single, and Fagan laced
an RBI double.
Whitehall's Lianne Fagan connects on an RBI double during Tuesday's pre-district game against Orchard View. The Vikings won big, 15-0.
Kevwitch smacked her own RBI double two batters later, and Janie Fagan followed with another one, ending the game.
Janie
Fagan had three hits, and Lianne Fagan, Kevwitch, Smith and Toree
Carlson added two each. Kevwitch drove in five runs and Smith plated
three.
LeaTrea was great in the circle for Whitehall, allowing only three hits, all singles. She struck out five batters.
The
Vikings advanced to Saturday's district semifinal with the win, where
they'll face West Michigan Conference Lakes champion Oakridge. The
Eagles swept the Vikings in a May 15 doubleheader.
"Our team is looking forward
to the challenge ahead of us this Saturday," Whitehall coach Kyle McGrew said. "Oakridge, Fremont, and Grant
are all great softball teams and we know we have to play well this
weekend. We know this weekend will be a challenge, but it is not out of
reach."
