DeVooght throws gem, strikes out 14 to lead Central sweep over Western

Walled Lake Central and Walled Lake Western met on the diamond Wednesday afternoon for a Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader. Viking fourth-year skipper Tom Henig put the ball in the hands of his ace, junior Gavin DeVooght. Western second year manager Scott Peterson countered with senior right hander Paul Jones in the first game of the three-game rivalry series.

Unfortunately for the Western lineup, DeVooght was on point from his very first pitch of the matchup, and was in sync all game with senior catcher Zach Adams.  The junior flame thrower would strike out fourteen batters in the opening game of the twin bill. The humble DeVooght credited his battery mate for calling the game as the duo worked to keep the Warrior hitters off balance throughout the contest.

“Zach (Adams) knows what I like to call and we work well together. We were on the same page all game.”

Trailing 5-0 after five innings of play, Western looked to get things going when junior leadoff hitter Jack Roney laced a double to left-center to lead things off for the Warriors. With no outs and Roney on second, DeVooght dialed back in and retired the next three batters to strand Roney. The hard throwing righty would eventually pitch a scoreless seventh to finish the complete-game gem. Juniors Luke Grigg and Nate Fech also singled in the game for Western.

To date, Central has been one of the hottest offensive teams in the LVC this season, and things were no different Wednesday afternoon. The Vikings tagged Jones, a Lawrence Tech-commit with five earned runs in his four innings of work.  The senior right hander would strike out four batters before giving way to Roney who also fanned four Vikings in his three innings of relief.

Offensively, Central was also led by DeVooght who helped his cause, as he went 2-for-2 at the dish, knocked in a run, and drew two walks, one intentionally. Sophomore Levi Shanker went 2-for-4 and knocked in a run and pinch hitters Max Kurzeja and Cole Murray both had singles off the bench as Kurzeja knocked in two runs and Murray would eventually score after his hit.

After hurling his complete game shutout, DeVooght spoke of his outing in the rivalry victory. “My off speed pitches were working today. I had good command of my curveball and slider, and Zach (Adams) called a great game. I was able to get ahead and spot my fastball, and that helped set up my off speed.”

DeVooght is now 3-0 on the mound this season, winning all three of his starts, and Central improved to 7-1  after taking the series’ opener from their archrivals.

The Vikings’ ace spoke about the team’s fast start out of the gate this season. “As a team, we are just playing good baseball right now. We are doing our job at the plate, defensively, and on the mound.”

Henig commented on DeVooght’s dominant performance. “Every time the I give Gavin the ball, he puts us in the position to win a ball game. He does this on the mound, but also at the plate. He is also a fine young man with a very bright future ahead of him.”

Central completed the sweep by winning the nightcap, 8-1 with the game called for darkness after five innings of play. Central starter Griffen Wakeling struck out four batters, gave up two hits, and an unearned run in his three innings of work to record the victory. Colin Chestnut relieved Wakeling and tossed two scoreless innings and fanned three batters to pick up the save.

Hits were at a premium in the second game as Western junior shortstop Luke Grigg and senior designated hitter Jacob Walther both singled to record the only Warrior hits. Central managed three hits as Evan Biehl, Steven Getts, and Ryan Davis singled. The Vikings would draw nine walks in the nightcap. Biehl,  Zach Adams and Gavin DeVooght each knocked in a run for the Vikings to complete the sweep.

By winning the first two games of the series against Western, coupled with taking two out of three games against district rival Walled Lake Northern, the Vikings clinched their first city championship since 2014. That season, Vikings’ skipper Mike Roffi guided Central to the school’s first and only KLAA (Kensington Lakes Activities Association) Championship. Central standouts Kevin O’Malley, Kyle Wilkie, Mike Morelli, George Pastor, Jayden Boman and Colin Gotschalk led the Vikes to a school best 30-5 record as well as the city title.

When asked about what the city championship means to the Vikings’ Program, Henig chuckled, “I did not know anything about it until the kids posted something on social media. But, it is outstanding for the kids.”

Henig, a veteran coach knows that the season is a “marathon and not a sprint” but he is also excited about how his team has performed thus far.

“Everyone has bought into the culture. It has been fun to see seventeen varsity players get along so well, always pull for each other, and play the game the right way. This team continues to grind, and they do not think they’re ever out of any game. Guys understand their roles, and they also know that all seventeen players are important for our team to continue to have success.”

The Vikings will host Western in the final game of the series tomorrow with the first pitch scheduled for 4:00 PM.