MUSKEGON TWP. - It's definitely gut-check time for the Reeths-Puffer baseball team.
After a promising start to the season, the Rockets have found themselves in a tough spot following three straight losses in two days to rival Mona Shores.
What makes it extra challenging is how those losses occurred.
It started on Tuesday when R-P dropped both games of a doubleheader at Mona Shores, each by one frustrating run.
R-P pitcher Brenden Guikema
The Rockets came back home on Wednesday for the third game of the series, built a promising 6-2 lead, then watched it crumble under a barrage of bad defensive plays and other mistakes in a 12-6 loss to the Sailors.
Reeths-Puffer is now 3-5 overall and 1-5 in O-K Green conference play.
R-P head coach Butch Attig noted that only five of Mona Shores' 12 runs were earned, meaning the Rockets allowed a lot of free runs with spotty defensive play.
"We're just not playing good baseball," Attig said. "We can't keep making errors and baserunning mistakes. We can't continue to give up out after out after out. We can't seem to get out of our own way right now.
R-P first baseman Brayden Mitchelson
"We have four weeks to get ready to play for our ultimate goal, which is a district title, but we have to get a lot better."
The Rockets will try to turn things around on Saturday when they attempt to defend their 2024 championship in the Greater Muskegon Athletic Association tournament. They will open play at 10 a.m. at home against Oakridge, a team they beat earlier in the season.
"We have the opportunity," Attig said. "We will take it game by game and try to right some wrongs. It's a prime opportunity to do so."
The game started out very hopeful for the Rockets in the first inning when Ethan Frang was hit by a pitch, Brenden Guikema hit an infield single that knocked in Frang, then Brayden Mitchelson hit a single to right field that scored Guikema. 
R-P's Connor McManus tracks the ball after making contact.
R-P extended its lead to 4-0 in the second inning when Quinn Alderink singled, Cade Paugh was safe on an error, then Holden Earnest ripped a two-run double.
Mona Shores scored twice in the top of the third on a pair of pitches that got past the catcher and found their way to the backstop.
The Rockets increased their lead to 6-2 in the bottom of the third. Connor McManus struck out but was safe at first when the catcher dropped the third strike, Mitchelson reached base on an error, then Lukas Johnson brought both of them home with a two-run single.
The game was all Mona Shores after that.
Mitchelson takes a cut at a pitch.
The Sailors scored three runs in the fourth inning to make the score 6-5, then added five in the fifth and one in the sixth and seventh. Many of the Sailor runs were aided by walks and costly R-P errors that came at key times in the game.
Coach Attig said the Rockets' eight seniors, who have experienced their share of varsity success, can play a key role in turning the team around by exerting more leadership.
"It's up to our seniors to lead this team," the coach said. "They know what do to, they've been with me for years. It's simple baseball - pitch the ball, catch the ball. I am frustrated right now. But it's my job to get them there, and I'm going to take that on and we're going to right some things and be ready to play on Saturday."