LocalSportsJournal.com
MUSKEGON — Guillermo Ortega scored four goals as the Hart Pirates closed out the regular season with a 6-0 non-conference shutout of the Muskegon Big Reds Monday night.
Adan Cruz and Tony Rayo each collected an assist to tie them for the Hart single season record.
Hart got on the board early, Guillermo Ortega being on the end of a Tony Rayo throw in for his first goal of the game.
But the Pirates struggled after that to break down the tight Big Red defense, until Tyler Larios-Mendez made it through to draw a foul in the box.
Larios-Mendez suffered a bloody nose in the process, though, and the Pirates sent Ortega to the line on the penalty kick and he buried it past the keeper to send the Pirates out to a 2-0 halftime lead.
The Pirates started the second half as quickly as they did the first, with Cruz dropping off the defensive line and slotting Ortega through to complete a hat trick, and giving Cruz his record-breaking 13th assist.
Cruz leads the Pirates with 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 goal involvements on the season.
Rayo would notch his 13th assist to tie Cruz on another throw-in that Ortega capitalized on for his fourth goal of the game.
Playmaker Bryce Jorissen was racing down the lefthand side and played a perfect switch ball to his wing partner, Larios-Mendez, who scored make it 5-0.
JJ Bizon scored the Pirates’ final goal of the night off a rebound, his second conversion of a rebound this season.
Hart finished the regular season 11-6-2, the Pirates’ second winning season and one of their best records in a decade.
The Pirates open the Division 3 district tournament at home Thursday at 4:30 p.m. against Newaygo.
