HUDSONVILLE, Mich. — Hudsonville sophomore Sam Schafer threw a gem in the district semifinal against Grandville on Friday afternoon.
The Eagles would beat the Bulldogs, 1-0 to advance to face Jenison less than an hour later in the district final.
Hudsonville would strike first in the opening frame when a balk scored a runner from third.
From there, senior Carson Fischer would be dealing on the mound, including striking out the side in the third inning.
In the fourth, pinch-runner Will Holbrook would score from third base after yet another balk to make it a 2-0 Hudsonville lead.
Fischer would deal with some trouble in the seventh inning when Jenison had runners on second and third with one out.
He would respond with a strikeout and a flyout to right field to clinch the 2-0 victory and the Eagles first district championship since 2016.
"Any win over Jenison is big," Fischer said after the game, "they're just right down the street from us, it's just big. Plus, we haven't won a district in a while, so it's time."
Fellow senior JT Sokolove says they've had this goal on their mind for a long time.
"We've talked about it all season on the down low but not around coach," he laughed, "just because you focus on the next game, you know, but behind the scenes, we were talking about it."
The Eagles now have 33 wins on the season as they near a program record at Hudsonville.
And Sokolove sums it up perfectly.
"The boys are hot right now, what can you say?" He laughed.
Hudsonville will face the winner of Saturday's district 8 final at Byron Center on Wednesday at 4:30 PM.
