LocalSporrsJournal.com

The Oakridge Eagles picked the wrong game to have their bats go quiet.

The Eagles only managed one hit on Tuesday, and dropped a tough 2-0 decision to Saginaw Swan Valley in the Division 2 state baseball quarterfinals at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant.

Senior Luke Layman had the lone hit for the Eagles. It came in the seventh inning and broke up a no-hitter.

“We just didn’t hit,” said veteran Oakridge Coach Brandon Barry. “We drew a couple of walks and tried to manufacture some runs, but we didn’t get a bunt down, we were thrown out at second, and we never really threatened offfensively.”

Swan Valley scored a run in the third inning and another in the fifth. Neither run was earned, and both were assisted by Oakridge errors.

The Eagles finished with three errors in the contest.

“We’re usually a little bit better than that,” Barry said about the shaky defense. “They only hit the ball hard on us a couple of times. We misplayed a couple. I think there were bad bounces on two of the three.

“It just didn’t work out in our favor.”

The loss ruined a strong outing for Oakridge pitcher Austin Fairchild, who only allowed four hits and two walks in a complete-game effort.

“He did a great job,” Barry said about Fairchild. “He deserved more run support, but we just didn’t give it to him.”

Despite the loss, Oakridge had a great season, finishing with a 29-5 record, a West Michigan Conference championship, a Tier 2 city tournament title, and Division 2 district and regional champioships.

The best part is that eight of nine starters from this year’s team are expected back next spring.

“This is just such a fantastic group of young men,” Barry said. “I think this is the second highest win total we’ve had in a season. It’s great to know that a lot of them will be coming back.”