The girls had Hartland where they wanted them, Saturday afternoon. Clarkston Girls Varsity Softball team had solidified their lead at the top of the fifth inning, 4-0.
They had just one more inning to go then Clarkston would head on to play Fenton in the district finals. But Hartland had their own plans, and they had used the previous innings to warm up and turned things around to win, 5-4.
‘I thought we had them,? said Coach Don Peters. ‘We were playing well. We hit the ball well and played a good game.?
Senior Taylor Hasselbach put Clarkston on the scoreboard in the first inning after stealing two bases. During a scramble for the ball she took the opportunity to make a run to the home plate.
The girls scored again in the fourth inning on Shauna Siwicki’s double and one runner came in for a point.
Hasselbach hit a double in the fifth to bring Tara Perry in and Bailee Braunreuther’s single hit brought Hasselbach in for four runs. Sarah Altene and Liz Zezula made big catches during the sixth inning to take two of Hartland’s players out.
But after that they scored one run and a few moments later took advantage of Clarkston working to grab the ball to bring two more in. By the end of the inning, they tied the game.
‘It snowballed,? said Peters. ‘The first girl got on first base. It was a wrong decision. We gave them an extra out. We miscommunicated on a few flyballs that could have been caught. We gave them opportunities to score runs.?
The Lady Wolves worked to get on the bases but the first three batters were out before they could step onto first. Once on defense, they got two players out but Moriah Nogoy hit a triple and brought in the one run they needed for the win.
‘It was a little disappointing. It’s been the story of our season – close but no cigar,? said Peters. ‘We battled for the league and took second, we battled in the University of Michigan tournament and took second. We battled here and couldn’t close the door.?
The girls beat Holly in pre-districts on June 1, 15-0, and finish the season 27-10.