By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
The Zeeland West varsity softball team pulled off a stunning performance against defending Division 1 state champion Hudsonville April 23, exploding for eight runs in the top of the seventh inning to rout the Eagles 10-1 in the first game of a doubleheader.
The Dux snapped a 48-game Hudsonville winning streak. The Eagles were a perfect 38-0 a year ago in taking the Division 1 title. Their last defeat was an 8-7 district tournament loss to Jenison on June 3, 2023.
Hudsonville bounced back to win the nightcap, 11-8.
West carried a narrow 2-1 lead into the top of the seventh in the opener. Riley Howe singled in the first run of the rally. Jenna Hendricks then hit into a fielder’s choice, scoring another run. Pitcher Madison Wyckoff then delivered a two-run double to make it a 6-1 game.
Before the inning was over, Maddi Veersma knocked in another run with an infield out, Emily Kragt singled in a run, and Megan Strabbing belted a two-run double.
The Dux opened the scoring in the first inning when Strabbing walked with the bases loaded. Hudsonville matched West’s opening score with a run in the bottom half of the inning. Strabbing then singled in a run in the third to give the Dux a 2-1 lead.
Stabbing led the Dux offense with a 3-for-4 performance and three RBIs, while Wyckoff went 4-for-5 with two RBIs. Wyckoff also shut down the Hudsonville bats, scattering six hits, striking out eight and walking two.
In game two, Hudsonville jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning. The Dux battled back behind a 16-hit attack to make it close but were not able to complete the comeback.
Bri Kamer led West with a 5-for-5 performance at the plate. Emily Kragt added two hits and knocked in two runs. Sadie Kragt took the loss in the circle for the Dux, giving up all 11 Eagles runs.
On April 22, the Dux split a conference doubleheader with Unity Christian, taking the opener 4-0 and falling 8-2 in the nightcap.
Wyckoff tossed a two-hit shutout and fanned eight Crusaders in the first game. She did not walk a batter. Kamer led the offense with two RBIs. Wyckoff accounted for the Dux offense in game two with a two-run homer.
On Monday, West split a doubleheader with Beal City, a school located near Mount Pleasant. The Dux took the opener 9-4, but the Aggles returned the favor in the nightcap 11-5.
In game one, Wyckoff went 4-for-4 at the plate and struck out 11 in the circle, scattering nine hits. West took the lead for good with three runs in the fourth, highlighted by a two-run triple by Veersma.
In the second game, Beal City scored all of its runs in the first three innings. Wyckoff and Hendricks each had two hits while Sadie Kragt and Riley Howe each drove in two runs for West in a losing cause.
Zeeland Record
The Zeeland West varsity softball team pulled off a stunning performance against defending Division 1 state champion Hudsonville April 23, exploding for eight runs in the top of the seventh inning to rout the Eagles 10-1 in the first game of a doubleheader.
The Dux snapped a 48-game Hudsonville winning streak. The Eagles were a perfect 38-0 a year ago in taking the Division 1 title. Their last defeat was an 8-7 district tournament loss to Jenison on June 3, 2023.
Hudsonville bounced back to win the nightcap, 11-8.
West carried a narrow 2-1 lead into the top of the seventh in the opener. Riley Howe singled in the first run of the rally. Jenna Hendricks then hit into a fielder’s choice, scoring another run. Pitcher Madison Wyckoff then delivered a two-run double to make it a 6-1 game.
Before the inning was over, Maddi Veersma knocked in another run with an infield out, Emily Kragt singled in a run, and Megan Strabbing belted a two-run double.
The Dux opened the scoring in the first inning when Strabbing walked with the bases loaded. Hudsonville matched West’s opening score with a run in the bottom half of the inning. Strabbing then singled in a run in the third to give the Dux a 2-1 lead.
Stabbing led the Dux offense with a 3-for-4 performance and three RBIs, while Wyckoff went 4-for-5 with two RBIs. Wyckoff also shut down the Hudsonville bats, scattering six hits, striking out eight and walking two.
In game two, Hudsonville jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning. The Dux battled back behind a 16-hit attack to make it close but were not able to complete the comeback.
Bri Kamer led West with a 5-for-5 performance at the plate. Emily Kragt added two hits and knocked in two runs. Sadie Kragt took the loss in the circle for the Dux, giving up all 11 Eagles runs.
On April 22, the Dux split a conference doubleheader with Unity Christian, taking the opener 4-0 and falling 8-2 in the nightcap.
Wyckoff tossed a two-hit shutout and fanned eight Crusaders in the first game. She did not walk a batter. Kamer led the offense with two RBIs. Wyckoff accounted for the Dux offense in game two with a two-run homer.
On Monday, West split a doubleheader with Beal City, a school located near Mount Pleasant. The Dux took the opener 9-4, but the Aggles returned the favor in the nightcap 11-5.
In game one, Wyckoff went 4-for-4 at the plate and struck out 11 in the circle, scattering nine hits. West took the lead for good with three runs in the fourth, highlighted by a two-run triple by Veersma.
In the second game, Beal City scored all of its runs in the first three innings. Wyckoff and Hendricks each had two hits while Sadie Kragt and Riley Howe each drove in two runs for West in a losing cause.
On the Record
East Girls Soccer Nips West
The first time the varsity girls soccer teams from Zeeland East and Zeeland West met this season, the teams played 90 minutes without either team scoring a goal.
On Monday, the teams faced off again on East’s home pitch, and the Chix took advantage as they defeated the Dux 1-0.
Addison Hathaway put East on the board in the first 15 minutes of the second half, and the Chix defense made that goal stand up as they recorded their eighth shutout of the season. Sophie Reese got the shutout in goal for East.
The game left both teams with identical records in O-K Black Conference play at 3-2-2. The Chix improved to 6-2-2 overall while the Dux fell to 3-3-2.
Dux Set School Record at Spring Lake Jamboree
The Zeeland West varsity boys golf team set a 9-hole school record for an away meet Monday as the Dux won the O-K Black Conference Jamboree at Spring Lake Country Club.
The Dux finished with a score of 152, three strokes better than host Spring Lake and five ahead of Unity Christian. Zeeland East finished seventh with a score of 192.
Senior Logan Bomers was co-medalist for the meet with a score of 35 to lead West. Sophomore Mike Girman fired a 37, junior Mikey Fuller shot a 39 and senior Graham VanDort a 41.
Scoring for East were Kolton Gentry, Reid Blondin, Zac Hopke and Tate Salas.
Last Wednesday, West hosted the O-K Black Jamboree at Crestview Golf Course in Borculo. The Dux placed fourth and the Chix seventh at the meet.
Tyler Baumann led the Dux with a 37. Fuller and VanDort added a pair of 39’s while Girman and Bomers had a pair of 40’s.
Hendricks Breaks Another Hurdles Record
Zeeland West senior Keaton Hendricks recently broke another school record in the hurdles for the Dux boys track team.
On April 12 at the Rockford Invitational, Hendricks broke an 11-year-old record in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of :38.65, breaking the previous record of :38.79 that had been held by Jason Tran since 2014.
Last spring, Hendricks broke West’s school record in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.62 seconds, breaking another record that Tran had held since 2014.
Hendricks recently announced he would be continuing his athletic career at Hope College, committing to the Flying Dutchmen football program.
On Saturday, the Dux boys track team placed fourth at the GR Elite Challenge at Houseman Field in Grand Rapids. West went 1-2 in the long jump as Hendricks won with a leap of 21 feet, 10 inches and Trey Sloothaak placed second with a jump of 21 feet, 1 inch. The 4x100 relay team of Hendricks, Sloothaak, Clayton Ramsdell and Brandon Holman finished third with a time of 43.90 seconds.
East Softball Splits With Spring Lake
The first time the varsity girls soccer teams from Zeeland East and Zeeland West met this season, the teams played 90 minutes without either team scoring a goal.
On Monday, the teams faced off again on East’s home pitch, and the Chix took advantage as they defeated the Dux 1-0.
Addison Hathaway put East on the board in the first 15 minutes of the second half, and the Chix defense made that goal stand up as they recorded their eighth shutout of the season. Sophie Reese got the shutout in goal for East.
The game left both teams with identical records in O-K Black Conference play at 3-2-2. The Chix improved to 6-2-2 overall while the Dux fell to 3-3-2.
Dux Set School Record at Spring Lake Jamboree
The Zeeland West varsity boys golf team set a 9-hole school record for an away meet Monday as the Dux won the O-K Black Conference Jamboree at Spring Lake Country Club.
The Dux finished with a score of 152, three strokes better than host Spring Lake and five ahead of Unity Christian. Zeeland East finished seventh with a score of 192.
Senior Logan Bomers was co-medalist for the meet with a score of 35 to lead West. Sophomore Mike Girman fired a 37, junior Mikey Fuller shot a 39 and senior Graham VanDort a 41.
Scoring for East were Kolton Gentry, Reid Blondin, Zac Hopke and Tate Salas.
Last Wednesday, West hosted the O-K Black Jamboree at Crestview Golf Course in Borculo. The Dux placed fourth and the Chix seventh at the meet.
Tyler Baumann led the Dux with a 37. Fuller and VanDort added a pair of 39’s while Girman and Bomers had a pair of 40’s.
Hendricks Breaks Another Hurdles Record
Zeeland West senior Keaton Hendricks recently broke another school record in the hurdles for the Dux boys track team.
On April 12 at the Rockford Invitational, Hendricks broke an 11-year-old record in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of :38.65, breaking the previous record of :38.79 that had been held by Jason Tran since 2014.
Last spring, Hendricks broke West’s school record in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.62 seconds, breaking another record that Tran had held since 2014.
Hendricks recently announced he would be continuing his athletic career at Hope College, committing to the Flying Dutchmen football program.
On Saturday, the Dux boys track team placed fourth at the GR Elite Challenge at Houseman Field in Grand Rapids. West went 1-2 in the long jump as Hendricks won with a leap of 21 feet, 10 inches and Trey Sloothaak placed second with a jump of 21 feet, 1 inch. The 4x100 relay team of Hendricks, Sloothaak, Clayton Ramsdell and Brandon Holman finished third with a time of 43.90 seconds.
East Softball Splits With Spring Lake
The Zeeland East varsity softball team split a doubleheader with Spring Lake April 23, defeating the Lakers in the second game 9-5. Spring Lake won the opener 17-5.
Senior Mackenzie Ruimveld led the Chix with a 5-for-6 performance at the plate during the twinbill, going 2-for-3 in the opener, then 3-for-3 with three RBIs in the second game.
“Our first game we struggled a little bit. We weren’t getting our hits down. In the second game we really turned it around. Our defense and offense worked together and I thought it was a great turnaround for the second game,” East Coach Jolie Groeneveld said.
Lakers Sweep Chix in O-K Black Baseball
The Zeeland East baseball team had its 10-game season-opening winning streak snapped last week as the Chix were swept by Spring Lake in a three-game O-K Black Conference series.
On April 22, the Chix fell to the Lakers by scores of 4-1 and 11-2. Two days later, Spring Lake rallied from a four-run deficit to take a 5-4 walkoff win.
In the first game of the series, Derek Baxter took a shutout into the sixth inning, while Max Mulder gave East a 1-0 lead with a fourth-inning sacrifice fly. But Spring Lake came back with four runs late to take the win.
Baxter struck out five and allowed just three hits and one earned run over 5-1/3 innings.
In game two, Mason Raade belted a solo home run in the second inning to give East a 2-1 lead, but it was all Spring Lake after that, scoring the next 10 runs. Mulder took the loss on the mound despite striking out six in three innings of work.
In the finale last Thursday, East took an early lead on an infield single by Aidan Jaworowski. Then in the third, Baxter belted a three-run homer to give the Chix a 4-0 lead.
Spring Lake rallied for four runs in the sixth to tie the game, then won it in the bottom of the seventh on a walkoff single.
Raade threw five shutout innings in that game, allowing four hits and striking out five, while Quincy Thome led the offense with three hits.
Senior Mackenzie Ruimveld led the Chix with a 5-for-6 performance at the plate during the twinbill, going 2-for-3 in the opener, then 3-for-3 with three RBIs in the second game.
“Our first game we struggled a little bit. We weren’t getting our hits down. In the second game we really turned it around. Our defense and offense worked together and I thought it was a great turnaround for the second game,” East Coach Jolie Groeneveld said.
Lakers Sweep Chix in O-K Black Baseball
The Zeeland East baseball team had its 10-game season-opening winning streak snapped last week as the Chix were swept by Spring Lake in a three-game O-K Black Conference series.
On April 22, the Chix fell to the Lakers by scores of 4-1 and 11-2. Two days later, Spring Lake rallied from a four-run deficit to take a 5-4 walkoff win.
In the first game of the series, Derek Baxter took a shutout into the sixth inning, while Max Mulder gave East a 1-0 lead with a fourth-inning sacrifice fly. But Spring Lake came back with four runs late to take the win.
Baxter struck out five and allowed just three hits and one earned run over 5-1/3 innings.
In game two, Mason Raade belted a solo home run in the second inning to give East a 2-1 lead, but it was all Spring Lake after that, scoring the next 10 runs. Mulder took the loss on the mound despite striking out six in three innings of work.
In the finale last Thursday, East took an early lead on an infield single by Aidan Jaworowski. Then in the third, Baxter belted a three-run homer to give the Chix a 4-0 lead.
Spring Lake rallied for four runs in the sixth to tie the game, then won it in the bottom of the seventh on a walkoff single.
Raade threw five shutout innings in that game, allowing four hits and striking out five, while Quincy Thome led the offense with three hits.
Former West Hoops Star Transfers to CMU
By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
After two years of outstanding play at the junior college level, former Zeeland West basketball standout Kara Bartels says she’s ready for the next level.
Bartels, who just completed her second season at Lansing Community College, announced on her X social media account last week that she will continue her college basketball career next season at Central Michigan University.
“Thank you to my coaches and teammates at LCC for their support and development over the last two years,” Bartels wrote in a post on her X account April 24. “Thank you to Coach (Kristin) Haynie for this amazing opportunity!”
Bartels is coming off a sophomore season that saw her named to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II All-America team as a second-team selection. She was also named the Michigan Community College Athletic Association (MCCAA) Western Conference Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.
Bartels averaged 15.1 points, 9.4 rebounds and three blocked shots per game in leading LCC to a perfect 14-0 conference record and a 26-6 overall mark on the season. In two seasons with the Stars, she scored 1,036 points, pulled down 587 rebounds and blocked 213 shots.
The Chippewas are coming off a 14-17 season, including a 9-9 record in Mid-American Conference play, during Haynie’s second season as coach.
Zeeland Record
After two years of outstanding play at the junior college level, former Zeeland West basketball standout Kara Bartels says she’s ready for the next level.
Bartels, who just completed her second season at Lansing Community College, announced on her X social media account last week that she will continue her college basketball career next season at Central Michigan University.
“Thank you to my coaches and teammates at LCC for their support and development over the last two years,” Bartels wrote in a post on her X account April 24. “Thank you to Coach (Kristin) Haynie for this amazing opportunity!”
Bartels is coming off a sophomore season that saw her named to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II All-America team as a second-team selection. She was also named the Michigan Community College Athletic Association (MCCAA) Western Conference Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.
Bartels averaged 15.1 points, 9.4 rebounds and three blocked shots per game in leading LCC to a perfect 14-0 conference record and a 26-6 overall mark on the season. In two seasons with the Stars, she scored 1,036 points, pulled down 587 rebounds and blocked 213 shots.
The Chippewas are coming off a 14-17 season, including a 9-9 record in Mid-American Conference play, during Haynie’s second season as coach.
East Bests West in Tight Tennis Battle
The Zeeland East varsity girls tennis team defeated rival Zeeland West on Monday in a hard-fought dual, 5-3.
The doubles teams were the difference in the dual, as the Chix won three of four flights while the teams split the four singles flights. Following is a meet summary:
Singles:
No. 1 - Emily Haskill, Zeeland West def. Anna Steenwyk, Zeeland East, 6-2 , 6-4
No. 2 - Harley Brown, Zeeland West def. Taya Schanski , Zeeland East, 6-0 , 6-0
No. 3 - ThyAn Kleikamp, Zeeland East def. Halle Reider, Zeeland West, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3)
No. 4 - Trinh Kleikamp, Zeeland East def. Analiece Yin, Zeeland West, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-6 (4)
Doubles:
No. 1 - Kendyll Samora/Keeley Boerman, Zeeland East def. Brooklyn Quillan/Samantha Edwards, Zeeland West, 7-5, 6-0
No. 2 - Elizabeth Rogovich/ Mahalia Vis, Zeeland East def. Lily Mendoza/Elise Fobar, Zeeland West, 6-1, 6-3
No. 3 - Abby TenBroeke/Brailee Bursley, Zeeland West def. Pippa Boerman/Olivia Grotenhuis, Zeeland East, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
No. 4 - Taylor Bouws/Natalie Veldheer, Zeeland East def. Norah Huyser/Klara Hesse, Zeeland West, 7-6 (4), 6-4
Last week, East defeated Holland 7-1 and Byron Center 8-0, but dropped a tough match to Spring Lake 5-3. Trinh Kleikamp won all three of her matches at No. 4 singles for the week. Schanski and Trinh Kleikamp won two of three singles matches. The No. 1 doubles team of Samora and Boerman and the No. 2 tandem of Rogovich and Vis won all three of their matches, with Rogovich and Vis not losing a set.
The doubles teams were the difference in the dual, as the Chix won three of four flights while the teams split the four singles flights. Following is a meet summary:
Singles:
No. 1 - Emily Haskill, Zeeland West def. Anna Steenwyk, Zeeland East, 6-2 , 6-4
No. 2 - Harley Brown, Zeeland West def. Taya Schanski , Zeeland East, 6-0 , 6-0
No. 3 - ThyAn Kleikamp, Zeeland East def. Halle Reider, Zeeland West, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3)
No. 4 - Trinh Kleikamp, Zeeland East def. Analiece Yin, Zeeland West, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-6 (4)
Doubles:
No. 1 - Kendyll Samora/Keeley Boerman, Zeeland East def. Brooklyn Quillan/Samantha Edwards, Zeeland West, 7-5, 6-0
No. 2 - Elizabeth Rogovich/ Mahalia Vis, Zeeland East def. Lily Mendoza/Elise Fobar, Zeeland West, 6-1, 6-3
No. 3 - Abby TenBroeke/Brailee Bursley, Zeeland West def. Pippa Boerman/Olivia Grotenhuis, Zeeland East, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
No. 4 - Taylor Bouws/Natalie Veldheer, Zeeland East def. Norah Huyser/Klara Hesse, Zeeland West, 7-6 (4), 6-4
Last week, East defeated Holland 7-1 and Byron Center 8-0, but dropped a tough match to Spring Lake 5-3. Trinh Kleikamp won all three of her matches at No. 4 singles for the week. Schanski and Trinh Kleikamp won two of three singles matches. The No. 1 doubles team of Samora and Boerman and the No. 2 tandem of Rogovich and Vis won all three of their matches, with Rogovich and Vis not losing a set.
