The boys baseball team (0–1) fell to Walter Johnson (1–0) 8–1 Friday in their first game of the regular season. 

Both teams showed signs of rust, walking a combined 17 batters. The first few innings saw little scoring, with only one run being scored by WJ before the end of the third inning.

It was in the bottom of the fourth inning that the Wildcats put the hammer down, scoring seven runs on just two hits. 

Whitman shortstop Matt Ryan led the team in hitting, going one for two with an RBI in the top of the seventh inning. 

Despite the loss, Whitman starting pitcher John McGowan said he was excited to be back on the diamond representing the Vikes for the first time in over a year. 

“The atmosphere was great, and there was trash talk on both sides,” McGowan said. “Obviously, this was not the outcome we wanted, but we will face them again in the coming weeks.” 

Pitcher Brennan Murley was also optimistic about the remainder of the season. 

“Although we took a tough loss, our pitching was generally strong against a good team,” Murley said. “We just have to take the rest of the season game by game.”

The Vikes will be back in action Tuesday at 7 p.m. to play Wootton (0–1) in their home opener.