HUDSONVILLE - It’s been a record-setting year for the Reeths-Puffer softball team.
The most runs scored in one season in program history. The most runs scored by a player in a season (that record was actually broken by two players) The most stolen bases by a player in a season.
The most impressive new mark is the number of wins in a season, which will now stand at 34, easily shattering the old record of 29.
So it was only fitting that the Rockets would end their 2024 campaign by breaking some more new ground for the program.
Their 3-0 victory over Byron Center on Saturday, in the Division 1 regional tournament at Hudsonville, was their first win in history at the regional level.
A Hudsonville hitter takes a cut at a Lainey McDaniel pitch. Photo/Joe Lane
The rest of the day wasn’t quite as successful, however. After beating Byron Center, the Rockets moved on to face Hudsonville in the regional championship game in the afternoon, and that was no small challenge.
R-P ended up losing 4-1 to the mighty Eagles, who are now a perfect 40-0 on the season and could very well be rolling toward a state championship.
The really frustrating part was that the Rockets were clearly good enough to compete with and perhaps even beat Hudsonville. They put a number of hard-hit balls in play, but the Eagles’ remarkable defense was there to steal sure hits from R-P on at least three occasions.
R-P kicked up its heels a bit in the seventh and final inning with two hits, a walk and a run, but it was too little, too late.
Reeths-Puffer finished the year with an amazing 34-5-1 record, a city tournament championship, a share of the O-K Green conference title, and a Division 1 district championship.
R-P's Kaylee Jones tries to lay down a bunt. Photo/Joe Lane
“Lots of tears,” said R-P Coach Sarah Bayle after the loss to Hudsonville. “This group is so special. I told them we played a heck of a game, it just didn’t go our way. We had 11 popouts or lineouts that were all solid hits, they just happened to be caught.
“There is nothing we could have changed a whole lot. We played hard.”
The bright side is that the Rockets achieved a level of success the team had never experienced before, gave one of the best teams in the state a run for its money, and will aim for even bigger things next year with all but the four seniors returning.
“Reeths-Puffer (softball) doesn’t have the same ring to it that maybe it had in the past,” Bayle said. “People know our name, they will continue to know out name and we are not done.
“I told the girls we will be back.”
R-P's Kyleigh Bilek tries to fire up the team after reaching base. Photo/Joe Lane
The top returnee next spring will be pitcher Lainey McDaniel, a sophomore who has baffled opponents all season, and who was masterful again on Saturday.
In the win over Byron Center, McDaniel rolled up 11 strikeouts while only allowing one hit.
She was not as dominant against the powerful Hudsonville lineup, allowing nine hits, but she also collected seven more strikeouts and kept the Eagles from posting any huge offensive innings.
“I just look forward to seeing more growth from her, and seeing her build on what she’s started,” Bayle said about McDaniel. “I know she is going to continue to get better. She is a gamer and she has continued to work hard.
“People are going to be scared of her in the future. Some already are. There is no doubt in my mind that she is not going to peak any time soon.”
R-P:'s Natalie Kunnen chases down a fly ball. Photo/Joe Lane
The semifinal game against Byron Center was 0-0 until the fifth inning when R-P’s Abbie Critchett laced a two-run triple that scored Brook Buchan and Kaylee Jones.
Later in the inning, Maddy Snyder scored Critchett on a RBI single to extend the lead to 3-0, which ultimately was the final.
Snyder led the Rockets offense with two hits in the game.
The championship game was death by thousand cuts for the Rockets.
Hudsonville drew a walk in the first inning, then scored on an RBI single. The Eagles added a run in the second inning on three singles, including an RBI hit with two outs.
The Eagles doubled their lead in the fifth inning with a leadoff single, followed by a two-run homer by Elly Koopman.
R-P's Madi Reichert scores a run. Photo/Joe Lane
The Rockets were robbed on a number of hard-hit balls that could have easily landed for hits.
Critchell laced a drive to left field in the first inning that had double written all over it, but the Hudsonville left fielder made a great diving snag to turn it into an out.
R-P’s Megan Barmes pounded a ball that was headed for left field in the fourth inning, but it was snared by the third baseman, leaving an R-P runner stranded at second.
In the bottom of the fifth, R-P’s Kyleigh Bilek launched a long fly fall near the left field fence, but the outfielder reached over her shoulder and made a great catch.
“They were catching balls that should not have been caught,” Bayle said. “I told the girls maybe we should say a little prayer that the wind will change direction one way or the other and one of those would drop in.”
The Rockets finished with four hits. Tessa Ross led R-P with two while Buchan knocked in the only run.