BY JACK KUCZMANSKI
Clarkston News Student Writer
The only thing hotter than the outside temperature this past Saturday afternoon were the bats of the Clarkston Varsity Softball team.
After a full day of fast paced, high octane regional softball action, the Lady Wolves hoisted another trophy as they were crowned as MHSAA Regional Champions.
Their victorious campaign began at 10 a.m. in the regional semi-final matchup against the Maples of Birmingham Seaholm.
Continued dominant pitching and powerful hitting were the keys to the Wolves’ success in this game, as they mercied Seaholm in five innings, 14-0.
There were hits to be found everywhere for Clarkston, as eight different players had at least one RBI, and 11 different players had at least one hit.
Some stand out performances came from junior Paige Blevins who went 2-for-2 with three RBIs, freshman Nyah Ansel went 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBIs, and freshman Sierra Kersten who went 2-for-3 with a long, opposite field homerun and four RBIs.
Sophomore Olivia Warrington pitched three scoreless innings, and sophomore Sarah Gladding pitched two scoreless innings herself.
The Lady Wolves continued with the regional final versus the Utica Eisenhower Eagles.
The first two innings proved scoreless for both teams, as pitchers Kiersten Korber of Eisenhower and Warrington were hitting their spots perfectly early on.
The Wolves figured out Korber’s style, and the hits and runs began. The first run of the game came in the top of the third inning as freshman Abbey Tolmie hit a line drive down the left field line.
This line drive, courtesy of Tolmie’s lightning quick speed around the bases, turned into an inside-the-park homerun. This dazzling athletic display made the score 1-0.

In the fourth inning, the Clarkston offense exploded. Warrington crushed a solo home run over the left field wall.
Next, freshman Abbey Barta hit an RBI double scoring junior Hannah Chadwell. Finally, freshman Hannah Cady drilled an RBI single, making the score 4-0.
Eisenhower didn’t go down without a fight as they tacked on one run in the fourth via a homerun by Aspen Starr, and two more in the fifth to make the score 4-3.
Clarkston Head Coach Don Peters was confident in his team to hold on.
“After those three runs I went out to talk to Warrington, and right away she told me ‘I got this,’” he shared.
Warrington was right as she and the Lady Wolves defense remained tough, and did not let their lead slip away.
The last two innings were scoreless for Eisenhower, thanks to some excellent resilience from Clarkston to battle out of tense situations. The final score stayed at 4-3.
“It’s really great to play on this team with these girls,” senior leader Alex Gladding shared. “The chemistry we have is awesome and we all get along really well. I’m gonna miss playing with them so it’s really great we’re still together going for the state championship.”
Peters echoed a similar message of the incredible chemistry and desire for success that this team has.
“With five freshmen and two sophomores starting we are definitely a young team,” he said. “But their enthusiasm and work ethic makes it a pleasure to work with and coach them. This team is awesome, We had practice ‘til 12:45, and they didn’t leave the field until around 1:30. They just want to win, and because of it I really think we have a shot to win it all this year.”
The Wolves defeated Walled Lake Northern in the MHSAA Softball Quarterfinals on Tuesday, 1-0. Clarkston plays Grandville on to the semifinal round on Thursday at 3 p.m. Finals are on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. All games are played at Michigan State University.

  Clarkston Varsity Softball, MHSAA Softbal Regional, softball