Reeths-Puffer came tantalizingly close to what would have been a
remarkable district championship Saturday, but was unable to hold a
two-run lead against Kenowa Hills in the district finals and lost a
nine-inning heartbreaker, 6-5.
The Rockets (8-14) defeated Grand Haven in another extra-inning thriller in the semifinals earlier Saturday, 3-2.
R-P
jumped ahead in the fifth inning of the finals, 5-3, by getting the
first two runners on base and scoring a run on a Knights' error. Holden
Earnest then followed with a run-scoring single to put his team up two.
Unfortunately, a double play ended the inning before the Rockets could
add to their lead.
Kenowa Hills quickly responded in the top
of the sixth, taking advantage of two R-P errors to tie it up. Zac
McCarthy had a run-scoring single for the Knights during the rally.
No
runs came across in the seventh - R-P escaped a bases-loaded jam -
sending the game to extra innings. After no one reached base for either
side in the eighth, Kenowa Hills' Mason Peebles led off the ninth with a
double, advanced to third on an error, and came in to score on Will
Fussman's sacrifice fly.
It was a tough way to go for R-P, which entered the finals having won four of five after struggling most of the season.
Jack
Yonkman took a tough-luck loss in the finals after pitching 3 1/3
strong innings, allowing three hits and one unearned run. Five different
Rockets had one hit each.
The Rockets rallied to beat Grand
Haven in the semis, tying the score in the seventh and then winning it
in the eighth on Quinn Alderink's walk-off single to score Connor
McManus. A sacrifice fly by Earnest tied the score in the seventh.
Brendan
Guikema had two hits - McManus pinch-ran for him after his leadoff
knock in the eighth - and Alderink also got two hits. Colton Bessinger
pitched brilliantly in 5 1/3 shutout innings, allowing three hits.
