COOPERSVILLE – Fruitport’s softball season came to a heartbreaking end Saturday as the Trojans lost a five-run lead and fell 8-7 to Allendale in a Division 2 district tournament semifinal game at Coopersville High School.
The loss capped a season in which Fruitport finished third in the O-K Silver conference with an 8-4 league record and finished 15-20 overall.
Despite building an early five-run lead and outhitting Allendale for much of the afternoon, the Trojans could not overcome an aggressive Allendale offense that produced 14 stolen bases that helped fuel the late comeback.
On the positive side, Fruitport’s offense continued the hot streak that helped the team play some of its best softball late in the season. The Trojans scored seven runs on six hits while drawing four walks.
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The Trojans wasted little time establishing control early, scoring five runs in the bottom of the first inning.
Kendall Prout sparked the outburst by reaching base, then Mady Prout knocked her in with an RBI double that tied the game at 1-1.
Later in the inning, Khloe Courtade lined an RBI single to right field to give the Trojans the lead, Bri Chiaverini drew a bases-loaded walk to force home another run, and Maya Aldridge added a sacrifice fly as Fruitport built a 5-1 advantage.
Fruitport added two more runs in the second inning. Mady Prout collected an infield single, Kendall Lee followed with a base hit, and Courtade drove in a run with an RBI double.
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Chiaverini added another RBI on a fielder’s choice as the Trojans stretched the lead to 7-2.
Allendale slowly chipped away at the deficit, however. The Falcons scored one run in each of the first three innings, two in the fourth and three in the sixth to take the lead.
Allendale stole six bases in the fourth inning alone and consistently turned walks, wild pitches and singles into scoring opportunities.
Even after surrendering the lead, Fruitport remained within striking distance. The Trojans held Allendale scoreless in the top of the seventh inning, but were unable to generate a rally in their final at-bat.
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Courtade was one of Fruitport’s top offensive performers, finishing with two RBIs. Mady Prout also had a multi-hit day and drove in a run.
Fruitport head coach Katelyn Reynolds credited Allendale’s persistence, but said Fruitport’s offense did exactly what the team expected.
“Our bats have been hot this whole month, and so we knew coming in that was one of our biggest strengths,” Reynolds said. “We knew we were going to hit the ball hard, and we got that early lead and our momentum was up.
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“But Allendale brought the energy and the fight. They’re a great team, and they’re well coached. They put the ball in play and generated those runs.”
Although the season ended sooner than the Trojans hoped, Reynolds said the defining characteristic of the team was its ability to stay together through every challenge, and the Trojans stuck with that on Saturday.
“They were always together,” the coach said. “We won and lost in just about every way you could this spring. After the city tournament in the beginning of May, we said, ‘We win together, we lose together.’ Regardless of what the score was every single game, they kept playing.”
Reynolds also reflected on the impact of Fruitport’s senior class, which helped lay the foundation for the program’s future.
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The Trojans’ departing seniors are Tatum Anderson, Madyson Prout, Kendall Lee and Maya Aldridge.
“We tell them that we’re proud of them and that we love them,” Reynolds said. “Those seniors have been through a lot, a lot of different positions and coaching staffs. They were a part of the beginning of the next chapter of Fruitport softball.”
Reynolds believes the many returning players have an opportunity to continue building what this group started.
“The message is to remember the foundation that they all built together this year,” Reynolds said. “As next year comes, and the next few years, just keep leading that charge of playing hard and playing competitive and being a dangerous program.”
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