For the first time since opening day, the Dragons found themselves on the losing end, falling 14-2 to visiting Farmington on Monday in a game that was a bit closer than the final score indicated.
Against Falcon ace Burny Mitchem, Lake Orion snuck across a pair of unearned runs in the first inning.
Farmington responded with a home run by Eddie Knobloch in the third inning to take a 3-2 lead versus Dragon starter Connor Mielock (5-1).
Still, the Dragons, who mustered just two hits against Mitchem all afternoon (both off the bat of Mielock), looked to be putting a threat together in the bottom of the fifth.
Mielock, however, was called out at second base on a force out where he appeared to be safe on an errant throw that forced Farmington shortstop Harvey Martin to leave the bag.
That call was all Mitchem needed, shutting down the Dragons over the final two and 1/3 innings.
Farmington’s offense, meanwhile, put six runs and five runs on the board in their final two turns to the plate, using four Dragon errors and some errant pitching to their advantage.
‘I don’t know if there was a carry over from that call,? Dragon Coach Andy Schramek said. ‘We just didn’t make plays today. We walked a ton of guys. We hit a ton of guys. We really put our defense on its heels.?
The Dragons took the first meeting versus the Falcons, 5-0, but didn’t have to deal with Mitchem, perhaps the league’s top arm.
‘We got gifted two in the first inning and I knew we weren’t going to get many more after that, so we had to be perfect with our defense and our pitching,? Schramek said.
Prior to the Farmington loss, the Dragons claimed the Orion Invitational by getting a pair of come-from-behind victories, first topping Novi 6-2 and then Utica Eisenhower 5-2.
Josh Deeg and Mike Musary got the wins on the mound for LO, with Jon Ruggeri recording a save in the first game. Deeg, however, tweaked his back during school on Monday and will likely be out until the weekend.
Last Wednesday, Mielock shutdown Clarkston, striking out eight in a 7-1 Dragon victory.
‘Connor is an excellent pitcher,? Schramek said. ‘He’s got a lot of life on his fastball and a great slider, so he’s going to get guys out.?
The Dragons took advantage of some Clarkston mistakes to score three runs in both the second and third innings to take a stranglehold on the game.
The Clarkston, Novi and Eisenhower wins brought the win streak to 14 games for LO.
‘I can’t remember if we ever won 14 in a row,? Schramek said. ‘I told them after the game (vs. Farmington) that I’m proud of the way they played for three weeks.?
Lake Orion, now 5-1 in league action, still is in the driver’s seat in the OAA I. They will travel to Troy for a huge showdown today, with Musary getting the call on the hill for the Dragons.