After stalling at the beginning of the game against Lake Orion Monday, Clarkston’s baseball team couldn’t get its bats on the ball after the Dragons roared to a 7-0 lead in the first two innings.
Lake Orion starter Josh Deeg won his sixth game of the year, striking out six batters and allowing four hits in complete-game shutout.
‘They told me to try and get ready for districts. I’ve been throwing a lot of balls lately, so I wanted to throw some first-pitch strikes and get ahead of the batters,? Deeg said.
‘Anytime you play your rival, you have to prepare yourself for a tough game. We came out and did some things well with the bats in the first two innings,? Lake Orion coach Andy Schramek said.
‘Once I saw Deeg go the first two innings, I felt we were going to be in good shape.?
The Dragons? (21-5, 6-3 OAA I) victory was the second over Clarkston (10-16, 1-7 OAA I) this season. Lake Orion posted a 7-1 win when Clarkston visited earlier this month.
Schramek sees a competitive renewal of the Clarkston-Lake Orion rivalry in the years to come.
‘There’s going to be a time when it’s not going to be like it was today. Next year, we’re not going to come out here and get a couple of runs they gave us today,? he said.
In the first, Deeg singled and advanced to third base on a wild throw to first base. Connor Mielock’s RBI double brought Deeg home and Mielock later scored on a passed ball. Joe Barnes scored on Nicholas Dunstan’s sacrifice fly to make the game 3-0.
The Dragons added four more runs in the second inning. Mielock hit a two-RBI triple and would again score on a passed ball. Joel Lange relieved Clarkston starter Erik Phillips to get the final out of the inning and the Dragons only added one more run from that point on in the fourth inning.
Mielock finished two-for-four from the plate with three RBIs.
The Wolves? were a self-defeating defensive entity, committing multiple throwing errors. Clarkston coach Phil Price would like to the errors cease prior to Tuesday’s district playoff opener versus Pontiac Northern.
‘The biggest thing is we need to quit beating ourselves,? Price said.
Price was happy with the way Clarkston competed for the remainder of the game.
‘Joel (Lange) came in and settled down. He was a pitcher, not just a thrower. He mixed some pitches up and we made a few plays behind him, (but) we still have to get rid of so many errors we make,? Price said.
The district match against Pontiac Northern is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. Clarkston defeated the Huskies 11-4 in a meeting earlier this season.
Lake Orion will play Oxford in its playoff opener June 2. The Dragons split with the Wildcats last weekend. The exposure was good for both teams, Schramek said.
‘We got to see each other and that helped us both out a little bit. (They are) an excellent team and that’s the best Oxford team I’ve seen in nine years,? he said.
‘We’ve won a lot on the road, being on the road doesn’t scare us.? we’re all pretty comfortable with the surroundings and got to play two games there Saturday, so we know what the field is like and we know the environment.?