Lake Orion starter Josh Deeg won his sixth game of the year, striking out six batters and allowing four hits in complete-game shutout, as the Dragons swept the season series against Clarkston with an 8-0 victory on Monday.
‘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.
The Dragons scored seven runs in the first two innings for an early cushion with their ace on the hill.
‘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) got three runs in the first, getting an RBI double from Connor Mielock in the process.
LO added four more runs in the second inning. Mielock hit a two-RBI triple and scored for the second time in as many innings on a passed ball.
The victory stopped a rough stretch of league games for the Dragons.
Last Wednesday, Royal Oak took advantage of five Dragon errors, including two that led to runs, to top the host Dragons 4-2.
Ravens starter Brad Bieseigel threw a complete-game three-hitter, striking out nine, while keeping Dragon hitters off-balance with a bevy of curve balls.
The team also split a doubleheader against Oxford in a preview of next weekend’s district matchup of the two top-10 teams.
Oxford took game one 5-4 in eight innings, scoring two in the bottom of the eighth to tie and then earn the win.
In game two, the Dragons broke the game open with a four-run sixth inning that featured back-to-back-to-back doubles to start the inning. They went on for a 10-5 victory.
‘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,? Schramek said.
Review Editor Colin Baumgartner contributed to this story.