NORTON SHORES - It feels good to start a new season by getting revenge for the disappointing end to the previous season.
Last year the Reeths-Puffer softball team was very good, and so was Mona Shores.
But because there was no seeding in the district tournament, the two rivals drew each other in a Division 1 pre-district game, with the winner moving on and the loser suddenly done for the season.
The Rockets, who might have had a good shot at a district championship, lost an early lead and fell 6-2, ending the year with a 22-13 record and a bitter taste in their mouths.
R-P's Maddy Snyder takes a cut at a pitch.
They felt a lot better on Tuesday, however, when they finally opened their 2024 season, following a weather cancellation before spring break, and swept Mona Shores 12-0 and 13-7 in an O-K Green conference doubleheader.
The first game only lasted five innings due to the 10-run mercy rule.
For Reeths-Puffer, which has all but one player back from last year’s team, it was the perfect way to launch what is expected to be a very strong campaign.
“Last year, our last game was losing to Shores, so for this to be our first game back, it feels pretty good,” said R-P Coach Sarah Bayle. “Reeths-Puffer doesn’t mercy Shores very often, it's usually pretty competitive, so this was pretty good.”
R-P's Tessa Ross slides safety across home plate.
The Rockets were not perfect, particularly in the second game, when they built an early 5-0 lead before Mona Shores hit a grand slam homer to get back in the contest, but they reacted when they had to and took home the sweep.
“We were working some kinks out, for sure,” Bayle said.
Some of the rust came from the Rockets’ lack of competition over the first few weeks of the season. They had a March 21 doubleheader against Rockford cancelled, which would have allowed some cobweb-clearing before conference play began.
“We would have liked to have some games before this so we could play around with our lineup a little bit, but they put the petal down tonight and it worked out, anyway," Bayle said.
R-P's Rowan Bluhm bobbles a pop-up before hauling it in.
The Rockets were completely dominant in Game 1, scoring runs in all five innings, including five in the third and three in the fifth.
Pitcher Lainey McDaniel kept the Sailors in check, pitching four no-hit innings with eight strikeouts.
Kyleigh Bilek pitched the fifth and final inning and completed the shutout.
Mady Snyder was the leader at the plate, collecting two singles and a triple. Natalie Kunnen added two singles, Megan Barmes hit a triple and McDaniel, Tessa Ross, Kyleigh Bilek and Kaylee Jones all had singles. 
Ross, the Rockets' catcher, looks up to see if she has a play on a pop-up.
“Lainey was very dominant on the mound in the first game,” Bayle said.
R-P jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the second inning of Game 2. Mona Shores scored a run in the third inning, R-P answered with a run to take a 6-1 lead, then Shores’ Maggie McCarthy hit a grand slam in the top of the fourth to make the score 6-5. The Rockets took control again with seven runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Snyder got the win on the mound, starting and pitching four innings with four strikeouts. Bilek pitched the final three innings.
Kyleigh Bilek (21) is congratulated by Abbie Critchett (12) after scoring a run.
Snyder was once again the hitting star, collecting three hits, including two singles and a triple. Emme Buzzell had two singles and Kunnen hit a double.
Bilek, Barmes, Jones, Ross, Brook Buchan and Abbie Critchett all added singles.
The Rockets will return to action on Saturday with a non-conference doubleheader against West Ottawa.