MUSKEGON TWP. — Even while playing on their home field, the Reeths-Puffer baseball team entered Saturday’s Division 1 district tournament as major underdogs.
The Rockets drew rival Mona Shores, the third-ranked team in the state that beat them three times in four tries this season, in the semifinals. A win in that game offered a likely match up with Kenowa Hills, the No. 5 team in the state.
Despite the long odds, and an early four-run deficit in the title game, the Rockets rallied to beat Kenowa Hills 7-6 in the championship to claim their second straight Division 1 district title.
“Nobody gave us a chance. Nobody,” Reeths-Puffer coach Butch Attig said after the win. “We were (24-9) coming in and we had the third best record. It says a lot about this team. This team is just resilient.”
[1]While his team fell short of its first two goals this season, the Rockets achieved the third, and perhaps biggest, goal of hoisting the district trophy.
“We had three goals this year. One was a conference championship, two was the county tournament,” Attig said. “We didn’t achieve those goals. All our energy went into this day, this specific day.
“We just beat two very, very, very good programs. I’m proud of my kids. I just love every one of these kids and these seniors mean an awful lot to me.”
[2]Senior Brody Panozzo earned the win on the mound with 4 ⅔ innings of work. He had three shutout frames to end the game, allowing R-P to make its comeback.
“I didn’t think much, I just took the ball and threw it,” Panozzo said. “I think that’s the key to my success, not overthinking everything and just doing it.
“We knew we could beat (Mona Shores and Kenowa Hills). We didn’t really show it at the beginning of the year, but we came today and really wanted it more than everybody else.”
[3]Trailing 6-2, the Rockets scored five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to storm back and grab the lead. Senior Kaden Edwards scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch — one that didn’t squirt all that far from the catcher.
“When I was talking to him at third base, I said ‘If you find a window, you’ve gotta get in there,” Attig said of Edwards’ sprint home. “I wanted him to not hesitate and just go. He read it perfectly and did a great job.”
The Rockets advance to the regional semifinal round. They’ll play Forest Hills Northern at Cedar Springs Wednesday, June 8.
[4]Kenowa Hills scored first in the third inning on a solo home run by Jaiden Acker that clanged off the scoreboard. The Knights added two more in the frame with an RBI double by Dylan Nguyen, who later scored on a Rocket error.
Reeths-Puffer responded with two in the bottom half. Edwards singled home Jett Boersema, who doubled, then scored on a throwing error.
The Knights added three more in the fourth on another homer by Acker, this one sailing well beyond the right field fence for a three-run shot.
[5]Panozzo rebounded from the long ball and allowed just four baserunners the rest of the game.
Five of the first six Rocket batters reached in the bottom of the fourth on a combination of singles and Kenowa Hills errors. Each of those five came in to score. Alex Johnson tied the game with a sacrifice fly to score Coby Mitchelson before Edwards dashed home on a wild pitch with two outs.
Edwards finished the game with two hits, two RBIs and two runs scored. Kyle Schlaff and Alex Orchard both had a pair of hits as well.
Jaxon Whitaker started on the mound for R-P, tossing 2 ⅓ innings and allowing three runs. Panozzo allowed three runs and had one strikeout.
[6]Joseph Hysell had a pair of hits for Kenowa Hills. Acker finished 2-for-3 with two homers and four RBIs. Ngyuen and Jason Stulpe both had doubles. Trevin Laming pitched 2 ⅓ innings in relief, allowing now runs on two hits.
Reeths-Puffer knocked off Mona Shores 5-3 in the semifinals. The Rockets scored two runs in the first, two in the second and one in the fifth to take a 5-0 lead. Mona Shores scored three in the sixth, but couldn’t complete the comeback.
The Sailors finish the season 30-5 and won the OK Green Conference championship.
Kenowa Hills advanced to the finals by beating Grand Haven 9-1.
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