MUSKEGON TOWNSHIP - It’s tempting to say that the Reeths-Puffer baseball team, after playing so many good innings and winning 10 games in a row, were due for a bad inning.
And they definitely had one of those on Friday night.
The Rockets committed four errors in the first inning and gave up eight runs on the way to a 13-1 loss to Allendale at home in a non-conference matchup.
The loss ended R-P’s impressive season-opening 10-game winning streak.
Photo/Tyler Lirones
But Reeths-Puffer Coach Butch Attig was not very philosophical when asked about the rough start to the game. He didn’t like it, which he made very clear in the minutes after the game.
“The problem is, you can’t give up that many errors in the first inning, you can’t give up five unearned runs, drop fly balls, and not attack the baseball coming in on a ground ball – just the small things we work on,” Attig said. “We just have a long way to go.
"We as coaches have to prepare them for the next game. We have to let this hurt, we have to let them know, okay, maybe we are not quite as good as what we thought we were, and we have to get back to work. We have to find those nine or 10 guys who are going to thrive in the field and at the plate with better approaches.
“We are still a 10-1 team. We have a new week next week. I hate losses, but sometimes losses bring you back to reality a little bit.”
Photo/Tyler Lirones
Twelve batters came to the plate in the first inning for Allendale, a good team from the very strong O-K Blue conference.
Besides the four ugly errors, R-P starting pitcher Trent Reichert, who has been great all season, issued three walks and gave up four hits. It took him 49 pitches to get out of the frustrating inning.
To his credit, Reichert pulled it together and pitched a scoreless second and third inning before leaving the game in the fourth.
He ended up allowing six hits and three walks, but also struck out six in 3 2/3 innings.
Photo/Tyler Lirones
“Trent, after not getting much help in the first inning, buckled down and battled,” Attig said. “I have to give credit where credit is due.”
Allendale tacked on two more runs in the fourth inning and three in the fifth to take a 13-1 lead.
Reeths-Puffer’s only run came in the bottom of the fourth inning when Chase Smith walked, advanced on a single by Catcher Earnest and scored on a single by Holden Earnest.
The Rockets totaled four hits – one apiece by Earnest, Smith, Kyle Schlaff and David Wilhelm.
R-P will return to action on Tuesday with a conference doubleheader at Wyoming.
