BY JACK KUCZMANSKI
Clarkston News Student Writer
The Clarkston Softball team entered hostile Dragon territory this past Saturday, and after two dominant pitching and hitting performances they emerged as MHSAA District Champions.
The girls began their championship campaign at noon against the Corsairs of Waterford Mott, and within a minute it was clear the Lady Wolves were going to come out on top.
The bats were alive as the Wolves put up seven runs in the first inning. This huge rally was headlined by big singles from the stellar 1-2 freshman duo of Abbey Tolmie and Hannah Cady, a monster double off the wall by junior Hannah Chadwell, with many more accompanying hits along the way.
Behind the spectacular pitching of Olivia Warrington, the Wolves continued to dominate the Corsairs, and went on to mercy them in three innings by a score of 16-0.
The girls refocused for their district finals matchup versus the Oxford Wildcats after a quick snack in the shade.
The game featured two of the finest pitchers around, Warrington and Kaitlyn Bean of Oxford, and right away the two young ladies were showcasing their amazing talent. Through the first four innings of play the teams were scoreless, tied at zero. At this point the game truly looked like it could go either way.
This was the case until the momentum shifted completely in Clarkston’s favor, thanks to an incredible leaping catch in the fourth inning by Lady Wolves second baseman Sierra Kersten. Upon landing after taking flight high into the sky to snag the ball, Kersten threw the ball over to Tolmie at first base to complete the double play on the Oxford runner. The crowd went wild, and everybody knew the Wolves were ready to pounce.
Sarah Gladding led off the fifth inning with a sweet double, and then was brought home by a huge RBI single from Tolmie, giving the Wolves their first lead of the day.
Clarkston continued to pile on the runs thanks to an RBI from Miss Softball Candidate Paige Blevins, plus a few more big hits.
In the end, Warrington pitched a gem to keep Oxford scoreless. As a result, the Wolves were victorious, defeating Oxford by a score of 4-0.
The Lady Wolves advance to the regional playoffs this Saturday at Clarkston High School. They will face Birmingham Seaholm in the semifinal round at 10 a.m. Finals are at 3 p.m.
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Clarkston (29-9) prepped for playoffs with a double header last Wednesday which opened against Lapeer.
During the bottom of the third inning both Hannah Cady and Paige Blevins hit a double to bring in one run each to put the score, 2-0. Another double off Abbey Barta’s hit during the fourth inning put the score, 3-1.
The Lightning stuck in the fifth inning to catch up to take control of the board by the sixth inning they led 5-3.
Sarah Gladding hit a homerun as the first batter up in the sixth inning for a lone run. The Lady Wolves weren’t able to score again on Lapeer and the Lightning closed the game with a 7-4 win. Clarkston continued their second game against Walled Lake Northern and lost 7-6.

  Clarkston Varsity Softball, Lady Wolves, MHSAA Softball Districts