FRUITPORT – Fruitport baseball Coach Nick Reed must know his team pretty well.

Over the past week, the Trojans have struggled offensively, scoring two runs in two games and one run in another. That lack of output led to three painful one-run losses to Allendale in conference play.

After Thursday’s loss, Reed predicted that the bats would come alive soon and the Trojans would get back to winning.

One day later, that prophecy came true.

Fruitport took its offensive frustration out on Ludington on Friday, pounding the Orioles 15-0 at Muskegon’s Marsh Field on a gorgeous summerlike evening.

Fruitport improved to 2-3 on the season while Ludington dropped to 0-3.

The game only lasted four innings due to the mercy rule, and the Trojans applied the knockout punch with nine runs in the third.

“Just be patient, we’re young,” Reed said about those who might have started to wonder if his team could hit very much. “We’ve only got three seniors and we start four sophomores and three freshmen. Our pitchers are a little ahead of where our hitters are right now, but when we put it all together we can be very, very dangerous.”

Several Fruitport players had big nights at the plate, led by power-hitting first baseman Ryan Bosch, who had three hits and two RBI. Jax Flynn added two hits and two RBIs, Christian Kennedy, Cody Nash and Dayton Campbell both had two hits and one RBI and Braxton Ward had a pair of hits, including a double to lead off the game.

Overall Fruitport pounded out 12 hits that kept the runners moving around the bases.

Reed credited assistant coaches Jarod Wierengo and Justin Wierengo for working with the hitters and keeping their confidence up.

“I would like to take the credit for it, but they are the ones who work with the hitters and keep stressing for them to improve their approach at the plate and stay within themselves,” he said.

Fruitport’s offense was able to take complete control of the game because of the pitching efforts of freshman Trevor Rusnak, who scattered two hits and two walks while strikeout out seven in three innings.

He had a bit of trouble in the first inning when he gave up a single and two walks, but got out of it with three strikeouts.

Reliever Tommy Anderson pitched the fourth and final inning for Fruitport, striking out two.

“He’s a transfer from Chicago who had a bit of an arm injury over the winter,” Reed said about Rusnak. “If we can keep him rolling, that gives us four good starters, and you saw Tommy pitch tonight, he’s one of our good relievers. That gives us some lively arms.”

The scoring barrage started in the first inning when Ward led off the game with a double, went to third on a beautiful bunt single by Jax Flynn, then they both scored on a single by Bosch.

Fruitport led 2-0 after one inning.

The Trojans tacked on three more runs in the second inning. Jaxon Stone singled, Ward walked, Flynn laid down yet another bunt single that scored Stone, Brady French was safe on an error that allowed another run and Bosch added an RBI sacrifice fly.

The biggest damage came in the third inning, when Fruitport piled up nine runs. Kennedy, Nash and Campbell had RBI singles in the big inning, French nailed an RBI double and several other runs were forced home when batters were hit by pitches or walked.

A total of 14 batters came to the plate in the third and Fruitport led 14-0 when the damage was done.

Ricky Wiggins added an RBI single to center in the fourth inning, giving the Trojans a 15-0 lead which clicked in the mercy rule at the end of the inning.