Championships aren’t won in the first game of the season, and Lake Orion Coach Andy Schramek has been around long enough to know that.
The Dragons fell 2-0 at Birmingham Groves last Friday afternoon in the season opener for both teams. Orion then rebounded in a big way with an 18-2 mercy of Rochester.
The opener was a classic pitchers? duel, with Lake Orion’s Josh Deeg tossing a no-hitter through five innings before being pulled.
Schramek said he had Deeg on a pitch count and actually let him throw an inning more than he would have preferred.
‘You don’t win any championships in non-league games,? Schramek said. ‘And you don’t win them on March 30.?
A one-out error in the bottom of the sixth put a runner in scoring position for Groves. After RBI singles by Colin Kaline and Chris Mann, Groves had control of the game.
Jay Sackett pitched a complete game for the hosts, scattering four hits.
‘Their kid threw a really nice game,? Schramek said. ‘They made all of their plays in the field behind him.?
Sackett, who threw nearly 100 pitches, admitted his surprise in getting to go the distance.
‘I didn’t think I’d get through more than four or five innings,? Sackett said.
The Dragons got a runner to third base only one time, in the fifth inning. Joe Barnes had two hits, with Ross Tonyan and Chris Lum adding the others, all singles.
Schramek said he was disappointed with the offensive output, but added that there’s plenty of time for improvement.
‘I’m not going to make any excuses for the way we played,? he said.
Deeg struck out eight and walked two in his five innings of work. Jon Ruggeri took the loss, giving up just one earned run.
‘Lake Orion is a heck of a team,? Groves Coach Jim Crosby said. ‘When you get no-hit through six innings, you’d take a win everyday.?
Against Rochester, the Dragons got their offense going, getting three hits and three RBI from both Deeg and Tonyan, as they finished off the host Falcons in just three innings of play.
Orion hosts De La Salle in a doubleheader this weekend.