Page 14 — Thursday, May 6, 2021 — The Hastings Banner
sports
Saxon baseball bested in two
wooden bat games in Zeeland
Non-conference foes were tough on the
Saxons recently.
Hastings fell in both of its games at the
Zeeland West Wooden Bat Tournament
Saturday. The Saxons were bested by the host
Dux 10-0 in five innings to open the day.
A double by Drew Markley, a single from
Mitchell Eldred and a pair of singles by
Matthew Thompson were the Saxon offense
in the loss to the Dux.
Allegan bested the Saxons 13-3 in the day’s
consolation game, while Zeeland West went
on for a win over Thornapple Kellogg in the
championship.
Mitchell Rafter was 2-for-2 with a double
and a run scored in the Saxons’ loss to the
Allegan Tigers. Mitchell Eldred doubled once
as well and drove in a run. Ashton Benson
singled and notched the Saxons’ other RBI.
Markley walked three times out of the lead-
off spot and scored two runs for the Saxons,
while stealing two bases. Rafter had a stealtoo.
Ionia took 10-4 and 16-0 wins over the
Saxons in the two games of a doubleheader
last Thursday at Hastings High School.
The Saxons outhit the Bulldogs 8-7 in the
opener, but six errors helped the Bulldogs
take the 10-4 win.
Markley, Thompson and Benson had two
hits each for Hastings, and Carter Hewitt and
Rafter both singled once. Kaiden Shumway
had two RBI and Rafter also drove in a run.
One of Thompson’s two hits was a double.
Hewitt started on the mound for Hastings,
striking out two and walking four in 4.
innings. He allowed two hits and three earned
runs, but the Bulldogs scored two unearned
runs off of him and three in the game.
The Bulldogs extended their lead in game
two with seven runs in the fifth inning.
Hewitt doubled and Benson, Eldred and
Rafter singled in the loss for the Saxons.Saxon golfers shooting to stay
in second behind Mounties
Brett Bremer
Sports Editor
Hastings and Coldwater were fighting to
hold onto second place in the Interstate-
Athletic Conference as the league met for its
jamboree at The Legacy in Hastings
Wednesday afternoon.
The Saxons were third at each of the two
conference jamborees last week.
Jackson Northwest strengthened its league
lead with a pair of wins, including at
Wednesday’s meet hosted by Harper Creek
at Binder Park Golf Course.
The Hastings boys had a tough time keep-
ing the ball in play on what head coach
Kristen Laubaugh called an extremely diffi-
cult nine at Binder Park.
Northwest took the day’s victory with a
score of 175 and Pennfield was second with
a 180. Hastings was third with a 187 and
Marshall won a fifth-score tiebreaker to fin-
ish ahead of Coldwater as both teams earned
a score of 189. Parma Western was sixth
with a score of 190, ahead of Lumen Christi
195 and Harper Creek 200.
Joe McLean led the Saxons with a 44 andWill Jenson shot a 45. Hastings also got 49s
from Owen Carroll and Collin Fouty.
Harrison Chapman from Marshall was the
only guy under 40 for the day, shooting a 37.
Harper Creek got a 40 from Mitchell Bair-
Pollard and a 41 from Ty Peet. Carter Wong
led Pennfield with a 40 and Northwest was
paced by Isaac Anuszkiewicz’s 41.
Hastings and Northwest were the only
two teams with four scorers under 50.
The Saxons were fourth after losing out
on a fifth-score tiebreaker to Lumen Christi
for third place at Arbor Hills last Tuesday
(April 27).
Northwest won that event with a score of
179, ahead of Coldwater 181, Lumen Christi
184, Hastings 184, Marshall 188, Western
189, Pennfield 194 and Harper Creek 194.
Jenson led the Saxons with a 39. Hastings
got 48s from Carroll and Fouty and a 49
from McLean.
Chapman scored a 36 to finish as the
day’s medalist once again.
Northwest won thanks in part to a 42 from
Brenden Borowy and a 43 from
Anuszkiewicz.Saxon tennis looks to get back
over .500 in dual with Marshall
Brett Bremer
Sports Editor
There were good battles, especially at the
top of the singles line-up, but Parma Western
took an 8-0 win on the courts at Hastings
High School to even the Saxon varsity girls’
tennis team’s Interstate-8 Athletic Conference
record at 2-2 Monday.
In a contest between two of the confer-
ence’s top players so far, the Panthers’
Caroline Davenport edged the Saxons Brooke
Youngs 6-3, 6-4. Both girls were 3-0 against
conference foes coming into the afternoon.
Renee Marston took a 6-3, 6-3 win over the
Saxons’ Abby Beemer at the second singles
flight.
The closest doubles match was at number
one where the Saxon team of Bailey Cook and
Erin Daniels pushed Belle Sexton and Maria
Macchia in a 7-5 loss in the opening set but
then were downed 6-1 in the second.
Hastings got its second victory of the con-
ference season last Wednesday, outscoringColdwater 8-0.
The Saxons didn’t drop a set to the
Cardinals. Youngs won 6-2, 6-0 over Kelly
Warner and Beemer took a 6-2, 6-4 win
against Jillian Hawver.
Finja Schmidt scored the third singles win
for the Saxons, besting Emma Madden 6-0,
6-4. At fourth singles, the Saxons’ Anna
Haywood took a 7-6, 6-2 win over Urja Patel.
The Saxon first doubles team of Cook and
Daniels won 6-1, 6-4. Megan Rowley and
Calin Redman scored a 6-4, 6-3 win in their
match at second doubles against Allie Welch
and Jossy Martinez. Ella Carroll and Julia
McLean scored a 6-3, 6-1 win at third doubles
for the Saxons.
Elizabeth Arnold and Emily Simmons won
by default at fourth doubles.
The Saxons three more conference duals
ahead. They are scheduled to host Marshall
this afternoon and then will be at Pennfield
May 10 and at Harper Creek May 11.Vikings grab runner-up spot in
GLAC jamboree at Glenbrier
Leslie was on top of the Greater Lansing
Activities Conference jamboree standings
Thursday after back to back wins in the
league by the Lakewood boys.
The Vikings edged Lansing Christian 175-
177 for second in the standings, at the confer-
ence jamboree hosted by Perry at Glenbrier
Golf Course, behind Leslie’s 168.
Perry was fourth with a score of 193, ahead
of Olivet 199 and Maple Valley 210.
Trevor Simon led the Lakewood team with
a 40 at Glenbrier. Logan Kenyon shot a 44,
Owen Richmond a 45 and Drew Marquoit and
Liam Cavanaugh each scored a 46 for the
Vikings.
Leslie was powered to the win by a 37 from
Garrett Mays, while also getting a 41 from
Cannon Risner and a 43 from John Cranmore.
Lansing Christian’s Isaac Haley was the
individual runner-up behind Mays, shooting a
39.
Owen Bailey led the Maple Valley team
with a 44. Buck Schrader shot a 49, Kenny
Curtis a 54 and Diesel Curtis a 63.Lakewood got off to a busy start to this
week, placing fifth at the nine-team George
Bitner Spring Lake Invitational at Spring
Lake Country Club Monday and then winning
a non-conference dual with Portland at
Centennial Acres Thursday.
Simon led the Vikings with an 81 Monday.
Cavanaugh scored an 85 and Kenyon and
Richmond each shot an 88.
The host Lakers took the championship
with a score of 313. NorthPointe Christian
was second with a 319, ahead of Mason 325,
Mona Shores 339, Lakewood 342, Allendale
344, Grand Rapids Catholic Central 355,
West Catholic 357 and Sparta 365.
The Vikings took a 168-177 win over the
Portland boys Tuesday.
Simon shot a 41, Kenyon and Jakeb Jackson
each scored a 42 and Richmond added a 43.
The Vikings’ five and six on the day were
right behind that top four. Marquoit scored a
44 and Cavanaugh a 45.
CJ Miller led Portland with a 40.Pennfield tennis scores 7-
win over Lakewood ladies
Pennfield won the seven contested flights
in straight sets Wednesday to earn a 7-0 win
over the Lakewood varsity girls’ tennis team.
The closest match of the afternoon was at
first singles where the Panthers’ Lauren
Saxton beat out Lakewood’s Kristen Finsaas
6-1, 6-2.Lakewood forfeited the fourth doubles
flight.
The Lakewood ladies are scheduled to host
Leslie Friday and then host Thornapple
Kellogg Monday afternoon. The Vikings will
host a tri May 12 with Comstock Park and
Grand Rapids West Catholic.County board pledges to
help local restaurateurs
Rebecca Pierce
Editor
Repeated pleas urging help for local
restaurateurs received a vote of action from
Barry County commissioners Tuesday.
Led by Commissioner Jon Smelker, com-
missioners unanimously agreed to recom-
mend using up to $90,000 from the county’s
100-percent tax payment fund to reimburse
eligible licensed food facilities for food
license fees paid to the Barry-Eaton District
Health Department in 2021.
The BEDHD board declined to take this
action in March, so Barry County did,
Smelker said Tuesday after the Committee of
the Whole meeting in Leason Sharpe Hall at
the Barry Community Foundation.
But exactly how the county is going to
accomplish this plan has yet to be deter-
mined.
“I just feel that our restaurant and food
establishments have waited long enough for
us to do something,” Smelker said, indicat-
ing a list of businesses and fees that would be
applicable.
The total of all those fees, if they’re col-
lected, would amount to $89,509 in Barry
County, he noted.
The 100-percent tax payment fund, which
the board agreed to tap for this purpose, pro-
vides financial support to townships when
people don’t pay their taxes, Chairman Ben
Geiger said.
County Administrator Michael Brown
explained that, years ago, the board adopted
a policy relating to the use of any money
from this fund – above a cap.
“Its primary purpose is to provide for the
payment of revolving taxes to local units so
the county treasurer doesn’t have to go out to
borrow funds and the local units (of govern-
ment) are made whole.”
After that, there are funds above that cap
covered by a policy that sets forth what the
money may be used for.
“I believe this falls within that policy,”
Brown said. “... Between now and the next
board meeting, the board will have to take a
look at that policy.”
“In 2011, we passed a policy that said we
were not going to dip into this,” Geiger
recalled. “A lot of counties had depleted
these funds for regular county business and
we said we didn’t want to do that.”Originally, Smelker had proposed provid-
ing the funds for local restaurants from the
American Rescue Plan Act, which is the
COVID-19 economic stimulus package that
governmental units across the country are
expecting to receive this year.
Smelker envisioned local restaurant own-
ers sending in their proof of payment –
showing that they paid for their 2021 licens-
es – to the county administration office. Then
administration would send it to the clerk and
the clerk would reimburse the business.
“But they will have to have paid it (the
license fees) and we will not be paying late
fees,” Smelker said.
But several members of the public came
forward Tuesday during the commissioners’
meeting and urged the commissioners not to
wait on this so-called ARP funding but to pay
the local businesses now.
“One of the challenges is we don’t know
when we’re going to get those (ARP) funds,”Brown pointed out, “and we have not
received clarity on what those funds can be
used for or how they are to be reimbursed.”
Although Brown said it does appear funds
for local restaurants would fall in the catego-
ry for ARP funds, “we do have a risk here
that it might be determined that you can’t.”
Brown said his department would be
happy to facilitate the board’s plan, “but I
make a preface that we don’t have a connec-
tion with any of the restaurants. ...We’ve got
to think through a little bit about how we’re
going to inform restaurants.”
Geiger said the county needs to set up a
portal on its website for restaurants to submit
applications for reimbursement and work
with the treasurer’s department to facilitate
the payments to those businesses that are
eligible.
“I’m sure our administration will come
through and we’ll find a way to fund this by
next week,” Geiger said.Barry County Administrator Michael Brown, left, discusses coming up with a pro-
cess to provide financial local restaurateurs with Chairman Ben Geiger, center, and
Commissioner Jon Smelker, right, at Tuesday’s Committee of the Whole meeting.
(Photo by Rebecca Pierce)