SOFTBALL: Lake Orion stages late rally, soars past Clarkston for district title
Oxford, Kettering ousted in semis
LAKE ORION — Perhaps Lake Orion added another chapter to the book of late inning comebacks Saturday afternoon.
The state-ranked Dragons scored twice in the bottom of the seventh inning to rally past arch-rival Clarkston, 3-2, in the Division 1 softball district finals. The win gave Lake Orion (32-4) its first district title since 2008.
Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh, Megan Hall led off the frame with a double. Megan Remer followed with a bunt single and Alexandra Carpenter sliced a RBI single to right to knot the game at 2-2.
Later in the inning, Julie Malear reached base on an error and Rachel Dolland’s infield RBI single plated Carpenter and ended the comeback to grand style for Lake Orion, which won the OAA Red Division at 10-0 and is off to its best season to date.
Clarkston scored its runs in the third and sixth inning and collected six hits on the day.
Lake Orion’s first run came in the third inning. The Dragons recorded 11 hits.
Dolland finished 2-for-3 and Remer had two hits for Lake Orion. Sydney Hasselbach finished 3-for-3 with an RB I, while Candace Kitchen had two hits, including an RBI double for Clarkston.
Sierra Gonzales stuck out five over seven innings and yielded six hits and two earned runs with no walks.
Madeline Maday scattered 11 hits, struck out one, gave up one walk and three earned runs in a losing effort for Clarkston (24-10).
LAKE ORION 10, WATERFORD KETTERING 8: Lake Orion pounded out 16 hits and eventually staved off the Captains’ comeback bid in this D-1 district semifinal at Lake Orion.
Rachel Dolland was 3-for-4 with three RBI and Julie Malear finished with two RBI on the strength of three hits. Lake Orion scored three in the first, three in the fifth, three more in the sixth and one in the top of the seventh for a 109-3 lead, only to see Kettering come back.
Kettering scored three in the sixth and five in the seventh on the bats of 11 hits.
Emma Colegrove drove in five runs for Kettering (21-15).
CLARKSTON 12, OXFORD 0 (5 INNINGS): Clarkston gave up three hits while the Wolves scored two in the first, three in the second, one in the third, five in the fourth and one more in the fifth to cruise past Oxford in this D-1 district semifinal Saturday at Lake Orion.
Overall, Clarkston amassed 17 hits in the mercy-shortened contest.
Katie Nelson finished 3-for-4, belted a home run, scored twice and drove in two runs for Clarkston. Katie Kuenzel added a grand slam for the Wolves. Alex Favazza and Madeline Maday split time on the mound in the win for Clarkston, cobining for three strikeouts and just one walk.
Austin Cervantez had two hits for Oxford.
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