Clarkston coach Phil Price said the state baseball tournament is wide open with no real favorite that everyone is aiming to beat. The same couldn’t be said for his team’s district. It was the hands down favorite and lived up to its reputation.
The Wolves dominated their district while dismantling lower level competition in Pontiac Northern, Pontiac Central and Waterford Mott in the district title game. The Wolves beat the Corsairs 10-0 in five innings in the district title game following defeating the Pontiac Schools by a combined score of 25-0. The Wolves now await the winner of the Walled Lake district. Last year the Wolves won their district and eventually fell to Brother Rice in the regional final, 8-3. Regionals are held June 12 at Birmingham Groves.
In the district final win over Waterford Mott Aarron Powell went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Sam Palace was 2-for-4 with two RBI and Mike Kittle was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. Additionally, Jono Moehlig was 1-for-2 with two walks and a run scored. Addison Turk was 2-for-3 with three RBI and a run scored for the Wolves.
Those five hitters have been a mainstay all season for Clarkston, Price said.
‘When you’ve got the top five guys averaging three out of four times getting on base, that’s pretty impressive,? Price said.
However, it was perhaps his team’s defense, which continues to be his biggest concern, as it has been all season, which pleased him with its play in the district tournament, and specifically in the title game against Mott.
‘What a I do care about is that we won this game 10-0. No errors. We started off the game by turning the double play. That’s really big for us,? Price said. ‘Defensively we were real strong. Aarron Powell did a great job throwing strikes, not walking people.?
Powell ended the game with four strikeouts while pitching a complete game.
In the Wolves? semifinal win over Pontiac Central Nate Davis went 3-for-3, Moehlig was 3-for-3 with four RBI and Turk went 2-for-4 with three RBI. J.J. Lange started the game and he shared a no hitter with Mike Navarre. The two combined for 11 strikeouts in the win over the Chiefs.
Clarkston was never threatened throughout its district tournament, so how will a team that has let its share of games slip away fair in the regionals?
‘We’ve lost seven games in my option by beating ourselves. We know that we are capable of beating anybody and really anybody is capable of beating us. We respect everybody, but we fear nobody,? Price said.
He said his assistant coaches would scout the Lakeland district tournament on Saturday and he knew whoever came out of that district would be a good team.
The win improved Clarkston’s record to 23-7 and while they are in the midst of post-season play, regular season action is not yet wrapped up (at press time). The Wolves still have a makeup game with Royal Oak Kimball on the road June 8.
If Clarkston wins that game and defeats Rochester then they will share the OAA I league title. It would be the second year in a row Clarkston would be crowned league champions. The OAA I has no tie-breaker, Price said.
Price said defense and pitching will continue to be the focus for his team throughout its playoff run. Turk, Jim Coleman and Powell will get the most playing time on the mound, Price said.
‘Those three will be our guys, but also have nice relief pitching with J.J. Lange, Mike Navarre and Steve McIsaac. You can’t get by the state tournament with just one or two pitchers. Eventually, it’s going to catch up to you. I don’t foresee someone shutting us out, especially the way we hit the ball. As long as our defense stays solid,? Price saic.
Not allowing a single run in the district tournament is a good start.