MUSKEGON – Sophomore Trent Reichert didn’t know if he was going to pitch on Friday, and he didn’t have much of a chance to warm up in the bone-chilling temperatures.

He took the mound for the Reeths-Puffer baseball team in the bottom of the second, when Rocket catcher Alex Johnson suffered a slight injury and had to leave the game.

That meant that starting pitcher Jordan Bochenek had to go in and catch, and Reichert was summoned from third base to pitch for the Rockets, who were trailing by a run.

Reichert handled the unexpected call with a lot of poise, allowing only two runs in 5 1/3 innings, striking out 11, walking none and giving his team a chance to rally.

Reeths-Puffer pitcher Trent Reichert, who struck out 11 hitters in 5 1/3 innings of relief. 

The Rockets responded, scoring two runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to claim an 8-5 victory over Fruitport in a battle of unbeaten teams at Muskegon’s Marsh Field.

“Once I got going the adrenaline kind of just followed,” Reichert said, when asked if he had trouble getting loose in the cold. “You just got to keep focused and keep throwing strikes.”

Reeths-Puffer Coach Butch Attig said Reichert showed a lot about his ability to step in on short notice and shut down a good opponent.

“He’s just one of those kids who you have to find out about, and we found out a little bit today,” Attig said. “As a sophomore he hasn’t had too many games like this, but he showed us what he could do. He was like a bulldog on the mound.”

Attig also gave a lot of credit to Bochenek for leaving the mound unexpectedly, putting on the catcher’s gear and handling the job behind the plate with poise.

Fruitport first baseman Andrew Spyke touches the bag to beat out R-P runner Kyle Schlaff in a close play.

“Both of those guys did what they were supposed to do, Jordan behind the plate and Trent on the mound,” the coach said. “It was incredible. It was great to see.”

Reeths-Puffer improved to 4-0 on the season and won in a different sort of way. So far this season the Rockets have relied on the big bats of Johnson and Kaden Edwards to spark their offense, but neither of those standouts had a hit on Friday.

Instead the Rockets were opportunistic after falling behind 4-2 after four innings, taking advantage of six Fruitport errors.

The comeback started in the fifth inning when Brody Panozzo was safe on an error, Gerrett Chesney dropped a bunt single, Bochenek hit an RBI single, and Alex Orchard had an RBI infield single, leaving the game tied 4-4.

Fruitport took a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the fifth when Cody Matuz doubled, stole third and then shocked everyone by successfully stealing home.

The Rockets gained the lead for good with a pair of runs in the sixth inning. Jet Boersema led off with single then advanced to second and third, and Reichert brought him home with a fielder’s choice grounder to short.

Fruitport’s Brady Weck approaches third base on a steal attempt.

Jaxson Whitaker was hit by a pitch and Panozzo delivered an infield single, leading the bases loaded, then a run scored on a wild pitch and Reeths-Puffer led 6-5.

The final runs came in the seventh. Orchard walked, Edwards was hit by a pitch, then a run scored on a passed ball. Reichert followed with a walk, Whitaker was safe on an error and Panozzo delivered an RBI sacrifice fly to center field.

Orchard, Boersema, Reichert and Bochenek each had one hit and one RBI for Reeths-Puffer.

“We have 13 guys and I feel confident with whoever is in there,” Attig said. “When those two guys (Johnson and Edwards) have a bad day or can’t play, the rest of them pick it up. They had a great game. I’m proud of them.”

Aiden Vela finished with two hits for Fruitport while Matuz and Mason Whitlow each had one for Fruitport.

Fruitport’s Cody Matuz slides while attempting to steal home.

Fruitport got a strong outing from lefthander Ryan Bosch, who pitched five innings while giving up four hits and one walk and striking out nine. He was the victim of some spotty defense and left a good impression on Fruitport Coach Nick Reed.

“Ryan pitched well,” Reed said. “He threw strikes and he was effective. It’s a learning curve for him, and he’s gonna be a good one. He’s very mature for his age.”

Reed, whose team is now 4-1, thinks his team has the tools to compete for the championship in the O-K Blue conference this spring.

“We have three senior outfielders and three senior starting pitchers,” he said. “I’m excited. We had a good year last year and won 20 games and we were young. Now we are senior-laden and we should be up there again.”