MUSKEGON TOWNSHIP - After an exciting 11-0 start this season, the still very young Reeths-Puffer softball team has had its share of trials and tribulations.
That included a painful five-game losing streak over the past week, starting with two losses to Zeeland West and a pair of shutout losses to state power Hudsonville, then a loss to archrival Mona Shores in the first game of a doubleheader on Tuesday.
But the Rockets have too much talent and determination to let the losing get out of hand, which they demonstrated in Game 2 on Tuesday when they rose up and beat Mona Shores 12-4 to end the evening on a happy note.
Kyleigh Bilek was the big star at the plate for R-P, pounding out three hits with five RBIs, including a two-run double and a two-run single.
Freshman pitcher Lainey McDaniel also played a huge role, tossing the win on the mound with 11 strikeouts and adding four hits and an RBI at the plate.
R-P pitcher Lainey McDaniel goes into her delivery. Photo/Jeremy Clark
Natalie Kunnen had three hits and two RBIs for the Rockets while Aubrey Clark also knocked in two runs.
“After the game I told them ‘Welcome back!’” said R-P Coach Sarah Bayle. “Playing Hudsonville on Friday, the second-ranked team in the state, exposed some things for us. It allowed us to focus at practice yesterday, and while we were a little down in Game 1 today, I was happy with the results in Game 2.”
The Rockets will have a very busy schedule over the next week, hosting Spring Lake in a doubleheader on Thursday, visiting Rockford for a pair of games on Saturday, then playing a single game at Holland on Monday.
Then R-P will meet up with Mona Shores again, a week from Thursday, with a lot more at stake. It’s a district qualifier game, which means the winner will advance to the June 3 Division 1 district tournament while the loser will call it a season.
Reeths-Puffer would have to beat Mona Shores, then two more opponents on June 3, to win a district title, but Bayle is confident her team can do it.
R-P catcher Aubrey Clark tries to tag a Mona Shores runner. Photo/Jeremy Clark
“We would have to beat Shores, then Kenowa Hills, then more than likely Grand Haven in the finals,” the coach said. “If this team comes out and has some fun, I have no doubt that we can win the district.”
The Rockets didn’t waste time jumping out on top in the second game on Tuesday.
McDaniel led off the contest with a single, Kunnen added a bunt single, then Kyleigh Bilek drove them both home with a two-run double to left-center make the score 2-0.
R-P kept it going in the third inning when McDaniel led off with another single, Maddie Snyder walked and Kyleigh Bilek delivered a two-out, two -run single to make the score 4-0.
“She has been one who has been very consistent at the plate,” Bayle said about Kyleigh Bilek. “She has a very good approach and she’s always calm, cool and collected.”
R-P first baseman Abbie Critchett hauls in a pop foul. Photo/Jeremy Clark
McDaniel cruised on the mound until the fourth inning, when she gave up four hits (one was an infield single and another a bunt single), hit a batter and allowed Mona Shores to score two runs.
The Sailors could have added more, with the bases loaded and only one out, but McDaniel bore down and struck out the last two batters to limit the damage.
Mona Shores added a run in the bottom of the fifth to make the score 4-3, then the Rockets responded with an eight-run fifth to pull away.
Kaylee Jones started the inning off with a single, Abbie Critchett walked, and Jersi Bilek dropped a bunt single that resulted in a run scoring after a Mona Shores throwing error on the play.
Clark kept things going by dropping a perfect bunt single, McDaniel followed with an RBI single, then Kunnen knocked in a run on a fielder’s choice play and a second run crossed the plate on an error, making the score 8-3.
R-P's Kaylee Jones slides into second base. Photo/Jeremy Clark
Megan Barmes followed with an RBI bunt single, Snyder walked, then Kyleigh Bilek completed the big inning with an RBI double, making the score 10-3.
The Rockets added two more runs in the seventh inning with infield singles by Clark and McDaniel and a two-run hit by Kunnen.
Mona Shores added a run in the bottom of the seventh but couldn’t rally beyond that.
The Rockets were less fortunate in Game 1, losing 8-6. Snyder had three hits in the game while Critchett had two.
