HUDSONVILLE — Reeths-Puffer ended its greatest season to date with yet another program first, defeating Byron Center in Saturday’s regional semifinals, 3-0, for its first-ever regional victory. R-P then dropped a hard-fought battle to unbeaten and #2-ranked Hudsonville, 4-1, in the regional finals.
The Rockets, who dropped a doubleheader to Hudsonville earlier in the season, knew what they were up against. They delivered a performance that, while unsuccessful, showed they are worthy of being considered among the state’s elite.
R-P coach Sarah Bayle said, by her estimation, her team put 11 balls in play that could have been hits but for strong defense from the Eagles. In the fourth inning, Eagles’ third baseman Lauren Luchies made the most impressive of several great defensive plays, making a diving stab of a line shot by Megan Barmes that would’ve driven in a run had it gotten past her.
“We played a heck of a game,” R-P coach Sarah Bayle said. “It just didn’t go our way...They were catching balls that should not have been caught. I told the girls, maybe we need to say a little prayer that the wind shifts one way or the other and a couple of those could drop for us.”
Hudsonville jumped ahead early when leadoff hitter Megan Beemer walked, stole second and scored on a line-drive single by Tessa Heffelbower in the first inning. Beemer cracked a two-out RBI double in the second to make it 2-0.
From there, R-P’s Lainey McDaniel largely matched Hudsonville’s Ava Snip pitch for pitch. Only a two-run laser home run by Wayne State commit Elly Koopman broke McDaniel’s run over the last five innings. That homer came just two batters after Luchies’ robbery of Barmes that could’ve made it 2-1, but to the Rockets’ credit, they didn’t let that gut-punch turn the game into a runaway, not allowing another run.
“I don’t think we could have changed a whole lot,” Bayle said. “I think we played hard. I’m glad that we went down the way that we did, if we were going to go down. I’m glad that we went hard through that.”
R-P did push across a run in the seventh inning on a Brook Buchan RBI single, bringing the tying run to the plate, but Eagles pitcher Ava Snip buckled down and got a strikeout to end the game.
The Rockets, and McDaniel especially, dominated the semifinal game against Byron Center. McDaniel only allowed one hit - a bunt single - and a hit batter in the game while striking out 11. R-P scored all three of its runs in the fifth inning, with Abbie Critchett delivering the big hit, a two-out, two-run triple. Mady Snyder then singled her in, one of two hits for her in the game.
There was a scary moment during the semis when catcher Tessa Ross was rolled up on by a teammate while corralling a foul pop-up and had to leave the game. Luckily, though, the injury was not nearly as bad as feared, and she returned a couple of innings later after Aubrey Clark filled in for her.
“The collision was more impact on her shin,” Bayle said. “Nothing was tweaked or pulled or anything like that, it was just that initial impact and the emotions and all of that stuff.”
The Rockets won a school-record 34 games, and four of the five losses were to teams currently ranked #2 in their divisions. They broke a slew of team and individual records besides. With five of Saturday’s starters set to return next spring, hopes will be sky-high for R-P softball. Bayle said though the graduated Barmes, Snyder, Kaylee Jones and Emme Buzzell won’t see what next year’s team and beyond will accomplish in person, they will always be part of it.
“Reeths-Puffer doesn’t have the same ring to it, I think, as it maybe (will) in the future,” Bayle said. “People are going to know our name and will continue to know our name. We’re not done here. We don’t have our four seniors coming back, but they were a big part of why we got to where we are and they will continue to be a part of that in the future, because they helped build this.”
