Fruitport baseball team gets one nice win against Hopkins, but has to settle for a doubleheader split

The Fruitport baseball team posted a nice win over a good Hopkins squad on Monday in the first game of a key O-K Silver conference doubleheader, but lost the second game and an opportunity to make progress in the standings.

The Trojans posted an exciting 4-3 victory in the opener.

Theygrabbed a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Cam Bolger singled to left field, scoring Wyatt Fielstra.

Fruitport added two more runs in the top of the fourth on a bases loaded walk by Bolger and a fielder’s choice groundout by Avery Lambers.

Hopkins fought back in the bottom half of the fourth to tie the game at 3-3.

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The Trojans scored the winning run in the sixth inning when Kolton Kennedy doubled and Fielstra knocked him in with a game-winning single.

Kennedy led the Trojans with three hits while Bolger finished with two RBIs.

Hudson Hazekamp earned the win on the mound, going 6 2/3 innings while striking out 11, walking four and allowing four hits.

Game 2 started out well for the Trojans, but they ended up falling 8-3.

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The Trojans took a 2-0 lead in the first inning in a two-run double by Trevor Rusnak.

Hopkins took control, however, with two runs in the third, four in the fifth and two in the sixth.

Rusnak added another RBI double in the seventh to produce Fruitport’s last run.

Garrett Olson pitched for the Trojans and struck out seven.

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The split left the Trojans treading water in the O-K Silver standings. They started the day two games behind Hopkins, which was tied with Comstock Park for first place, and ended the day in the same position.

Fruitport, now 19-5 overall and 7-3 in the conference, will host Comstock Park in another important doubleheader on Tuesday, with only four conference games remaining.

“We had opportunities in the second game to limit damage,” said Fruitport head coach Nick Reed. “We just made too many crucial mistakes.  Against great teams like Hopkins they make you pay, and they did that tonight.  Tomorrow is another grinder and we have to be ready to work and have great at bats.” ^{[7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]}