High school sports rewind: West Ottawa tennis rolls over Forest Hills Central
The West Ottawa girls tennis team came away with a dominating win on Friday over Forest Hills Central, winning all but two points on the day.
Megan Blake got the afternoon started for the Panthers, winning the No. 1 singles point by a score of 6-3, 6-3. Chloe Duckworth won the No. 2 singles point for West Ottawa by a score of 6-3,6-1.
The Panthers came away with all the doubles points after the match was tied 2-2 once the singles were wrapped up. Madelyn Moored and Kaitly Meyer won No. 1 singles by a score of 7-5, 6-3. Kelly Linart and Kamryn Dumas earned an easy 6-0,6-0 victory in No. 2 doubles. In No. 3 doubles, Halle Pratt and Eleanor Ervine won 6-1,6-1 for West Ottawa. Then Rachel Kennedy and Jesica Zhang won 7-5,6-1 in No. 4 doubles. The Panthers wrapped up the day with a 6-3, 7-5 win in No. 5 doubles thanks to Eden Hamilton and Haven March.
TENNIS
Holland wins home quad
The Holland High varsity tennis team hosted its first quad of the season on Saturday. In a tightly contested tournament, the Dutch were able to finish in a tie for first place with DeWitt.
Holland was led by Libby LeFebre (No. 1 singles), Abby Sanchez (No. 3 singles), and the No. 1 doubles team of Cora VanFaasen and Ava Wall. All three flights went 3-0 on the day.
Lizzi Munster (No. 2 singles), Emma Hulst & Natalie Legg (No. 2 doubles), and No. 3 doubles team of Claudia Kurniawan and Lena Vanderbilt Mancinelli all went 2-1 to finish as flight finalists.
“I am impressed with the fight and determination of the team today,” said Holland coach Kyle Kreps. “With the tough weather conditions and strong competition, I am proud of the way the team competed today.”
Holland is now 3-0-1 on the season and will next play at Wyoming on Monday.
Hamilton 7, Comstock Park 1
Isabelle Troost earned a 4-2, 4-1 win in No. 2 singles, Natalie Grunst won 5-4, 4-2 in No. 3 singles and Drew VanHouten earned a 2-0,2-0 win in No. 4 singles.
The Hawkeyes earned all the doubles points, starting with Cassidy Lezman and Leah Blood at No. 1 doubles who won 4-1, 4-0. Sydney Wedeven and Racquelle Burdick came out with a 4-0, 4-1 win in No. 2 doubles. Haylie Peterman and Joelle Boeskool won by a score of 4-0,4-0 in No. 3 doubles. Alyssa Franck and Maya Wettlaufer wrapped up the day with a 2-0,2-0 win in No. 4 doubles.
SOFTBALL
Hamilton 12, Hopkins 3
Junior Madie Jamrog tossed a complete game for the Hawkeyes, giving up just one earned run on four hits while striking out 10 batters.
She also cashed in at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two RBIs, a home run and scoring twice. Tiernan Nykamp with 2-for-4 with four RBIs and Raya VanderZwaag went 1-for-4 with a home run, which drove in two runs.
"We scored in six of the seven innings. We ran the bases very well. Madie Jamrog threw a good game with 10 strikeouts," said Hamiton coach Mark Behnke. "Our defense the last five innings was exactly what we want it to be. It was a good team win as we have a big week ahead."
BASEBALL
Zeeland West 12, Calvin 11
The Zeeland West baseball team took Friday's game in dramatic fashion, with an 12-11 walk-off victory over the Calvin Christian Squires. The game was tied at 11 with Zeeland West batting in the bottom of the eighth when Pierce Walker singled on a 1-1 count, scoring the winning run.
"I am so proud of how the boys continued to battle when things weren't going their way," said 8th-year head coach, Adam Locker, after the game, "They are a great group of guys and this was a great win for us over a great Calvin Christian team."
The Dux built a five-run lead in the fourth inning and then held off Calvin Christian's charge. In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Dux tied things up at 11 when Josh Agar singled on a 1-2 count, scoring two runs.
Zeeland West's other big inning was when they scored six runs in the third. The offensive onslaught by Zeeland West was led by Joe Ruch, Agar, Simon Moore, and Kole Meeuwsen, all driving in runs in the frame.
Zach Schwartz took the win for Zeeland West, the first of his career. The bulldog went two and two-thirds innings, allowing zero runs on three hits, striking out four and walking one.
Simon Moore started the game for Zeeland West. The ace lasted 5.1 innings, allowing 12 hits and 11 runs while striking out six and walking one.
Zeeland West Dux Varsity tallied 15 hits in the game. Moore, Agar, Deklen Klamt, and Ruch each managed multiple hits for Zeeland West Dux Varsity. Agar and Moore each collected three hits to lead Zeeland West's offensive attack.
The Dux are now 5-0 (3-0 OK Green) on the young season. They will have the weekend off and their next game will be against OK Green Conference foe Mona Shores on Tuesday, April 19 with the first pitch set for 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Hamilton 0, Jenison 0
Hamilton hosted Jenison and battled throughout in the non-conference match. The Hawkeyes had the more dangerous chances on net overall but had to settle for the tie. Hamilton is now 1-0-1 on the season.
Fennville 7, Berrien Springs 1
Fennville Girls Varsity Soccer beat Berrien Springs HS on Friday by a score of 7-1. Leading the way was Angelica Mendoza with five goals and three assists. Also scoring for the Blackhawks were Ellie Merson and Taylor Correa.
St.Joseph 1, Zeeland West 0
On a cold and rainy Friday night, the Dux varsity soccer team traveled to St. Joseph to play their third match in four days, coming off of spring break. Despite an evenly matched and well-played game between the two schools, a converted corner kick was the difference as the Dux lost 0-1.
"St. Joe is a great team that is well-coached, disciplined, and organized defensively. They are a great match-up for us on both sides of the ball. They challenged us to find different ways to unlock their defense," said Dux coach Benjamin Hondorp. "We possessed well and defended well in transition. Early in the season, we are still trying to figure out how to consistently create dangerous chances in the final third. We had two really good looks at goal tonight, but it is not enough against a quality opponent like St. Joe. Giving up a goal off of a corner was a little disappointing, but that was the only real difference in the match tonight. Well played by two great soccer teams, in spite of the miserable conditions."
The Dux fall to 2-1-1 on the season and resume conference play this week by traveling to Reeths-Puffer on Tuesday, before hosting Wyoming on Thursday.
BOYS GOLF
West Ottawa competes in Thornapple-Kellogg Invite
The Panthers traveled to Yankee Springs Golf Course to compete in the Thornapple-Kellogg Invite and finished 15th. Sophomore Carson Witvoet led the way with an 86 followed by sophomore Will Niziolek with a 92, while two freshmen, Hugh Ervine and Carter Geen, carded 99s.
BOYS TRACK
Saugatuck wins Rocket Invite
Benny Diaz won three events(110s, 100, 300s). Broke school record in the 110s 14.14. Blake Dunn had held that record from 2016.
Adam Martinson won the 3200 in the division and was second in the 1600.
Kurtis Bronz has become a force in the sprints and took home third place in the 200.
Cayden Schreckengust was third in the shot put followed by freshmen Carter Miller.
GIRLS LACROSSE
West Ottawa 15, Traverse City Central 1
The Panthers hosted a Saturday morning contest against Traverse City Central looking to earn their first win of the season. From the start of the game, the draw was dominated by seniors Claire Vellinga and Ella Spooner. The Panthers started attacking the defense with strong performances from all WO attack players. Within the first few minutes of the game, Spooner earned her 100th career goal.
The defense was able to hold Traverse City Central to just one goal. Noel Sprick led the defense with 3 caused turnovers.
The Panthers offense dominated the possession and were able to make opportunities for all players on the field. Claire Vellinga, Callie Brondyke, Emerson Reimink, Noel DeFeyter, Gabi Timmer and Faith Jongekryg all scored a goal in a well-played team effort. Leading the Panthers' offense was junior Mariah Stewart with four goals, followed by Spooner with three. Claire Vellinga ended with six assists.
The Panthers look to earn another win in their next home contest on Monday versus Jenison at 5:30 p.m.
BOYS LACROSSE
Mona Shores 13, West Ottawa 11
Trent Mulder had six goals and two assists for the Panthers and Cole Tulgetske had two goals and three assists. Cooper Nienhuis had a goal, an assist and seven ground balls.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: High school sports rewind: West Ottawa tennis rolls over Forest Hills Central
