MUSKEGON — Reeths-Puffer has enjoyed a banner season so far, and the Rockets added to their trophy case Saturday with a dominant performance in the GMAA tournament. The Rockets blanked Ravenna in the Tier 1 finals, 3-0, adding to the program’s single-season record for shutouts, which they already blew past despite the season having weeks still to go.
R-P previously rolled to wins over Holton (10-0) and Mona Shores (10-2) in the tournament.
“It’s awesome,” R-P coach Sarah Bayle said. “I won one city (meet) when I was a player, I believe in my senior year, so I feel so good for these seniors (Megan Barmes, Natalie Kunnen, Kaylee Jones and Mady Snyder). These seniors have been on varsity for four years and for them to go out with this, they so deserve it. They’ve been working their butts off.”
The Rockets didn’t get Ravenna at full strength, as Bulldogs star hitter Emma Herremans was injured early in the game on a collision at first base. However, Ravenna is the Division 3 #6-ranked team for more than one reason, and Bayle was impressed that her team was able to keep the Bulldogs off the board.
“Ravenna is, regardless of their division, a phenomenal team, and I give them all the credit in the world,” Bayle said. “That’s a great team and we were excited to beat them today.”
Lainey McDaniel was brilliant in the circle, striking out six without walking a batter and allowing just four hits. The sophomore lefty has been having success against just about every opponent all season. She gives a lot of credit to catcher Tessa Ross, as well as the defense behind her.
“She’s such a great catcher,” McDaniel beamed of Ross. “I could go on and on about her. Her framing, I wouldn’t get half the calls I get (without her) and I’m very grateful for her behind the plate.”
The Rockets were coming off their only losses of the season to date against #2-ranked Hudsonville, though even in those games R-P saw positives. The first game was a 2-0 defeat in which R-P went toe to toe with the Eagles, and the Rockets led 4-2 in the fourth inning of the second game before things went haywire due to fielding miscues. Hudsonville had 10 unearned runs in a 15-5 decision.
“We learned that we really are capable,” McDaniel said. “If we play clean defense and can get our bats woken up, we can hang in there with anyone.”
R-P had both those factors in its favor Saturday, certainly in the championship game. The Rockets jumped ahead 1-0 in the first inning on a run-scoring single by Abbie Critchett, and in the third, she ripped a triple into the left-center field gap, running through Bayle’s stop sign to go to third base. The risk paid off when Mady Snyder brought her in on a sacrifice fly for the game’s final run.
“I told them it would’ve been a different story if it didn’t work,” Bayle laughed of the team twice successfully blowing through her stop signs in the game.
R-P’s early runs also carried it past Shores. The Rockets scored twice in the first inning, getting two runners on base with infield hits and bringing them both in. Critchett mashed a triple, narrowly missing a homer, in the third inning of that game to drive McDaniel in, and Snyder and Barmes each had RBI singles later in the inning. Kunnen had a two-run single later in the game. Jones had three hits, and McDaniel, Critchett, Kunnen and Barmes each had two.
Critchett parked a home run against Holton in the day’s first game, one of her two extra-base hits in that one. (McDaniel had three hits.) Her power stroke has been a welcome addition to the Rockets, earning her the #3 spot in the batting order.
“She’s been really consistent all year,” Bayle said of Critchett. “We moved her up to the #3 spot and she’s just been consistently getting RBIs that we need in the right moment. She’s been pretty clutch for us.”
R-P has several more trophies it wants to get, and believes it can get, but bringing home the GMAA trophy for the first time in five years was a great start to what might become a fruitful stretch run.
“The atmosphere is really good,” McDaniel said. “We know that we still have to work and get the kinks out, but I think we do have a lot of confidence in what this team can do.”
In GMAA Tier 2 action, Whitehall earned a thrilling 7-6 comeback win over Montague before falling to North Muskegon 10-8 in the finals. The Vikes scored three times in the seventh to steal the win, with Janie Fagan’s RBI double the winning hit. Bella Fogus scored the winning run after doubling in the inning, one of her three hits. Annabel Kevwitch had two hits and three RBI, including a run-scoring double in the frame. Megan LeaTrea also had two hits and picked up the win in the circle. Kennedy Johnson had two hits, including a home run, for Montague.
The Vikes rallied from down 8-2 to tie the Norse in the sixth inning before allowing the winning runs. Evelyn Darke and Taylor Ottinger had RBI doubles in the comeback. Fogus, Darke and Fagan had three hits each.
Montague closed the day with a 12-3 consolation win over Orchard View, led by a 4-for-4 day from Abby Thommen. Johnson and Sophia Beishuizen each had two hits, and Hayden Boutell drove in four runs.
