By Megan Kelley
Review Writer
Lake Orion’s softball team recently completed their first 10 games of the season in an utterly dominating fashion.
Currently undefeated overall and in league play, the ladies continue to mow over their competition week after week.
Heading into the season, the Dragons had big shoes to fill. They were 32-7 the previous year and were an honorable mention (top 20) in a preseason poll.
The Dragons had their first taste of league play last week with a doubleheader against OAA Red league newcomer Rocheser Adams High School.
In the first game Lake Orion defeated Adams 11-1.
The team was led by Sarah Conley, who not only pitched a no hitter but went 2-for4 with a double and three RBIs. Kim Sosnowski also contributed two RBIs.
The second game was called early due to darkness but not before the Dragons were declared the winners of the 12-2 game.
Abbey Maresh got Lake Orion off to an early start with an RBI single. Maresh went 3-for-3 and had two RBIs during the game.
Adams tied the game up in the first inning but the Dragons answered back with six runs in the second inning and five runs in the third.
Lake Orion pitcher Natalie Shifferd soldified the win by only giving up two runs on two hits.
The ladies took on Troy Athens for another OAA Red league match up on April 18, coming out on top with a 16-1 victory.
Lake Orion had the early lead with five runs in the first inning with back-to-back homeruns from Conley and Maresh.
The Dragons didn’t hold back as they scored two runs in the second inning and an incredible nine runs in the third.
Tessa Nuss contributed four RBIs while Hailey Melchert added another two.
Pitching for the Dragons was Conley who only gave up one run on one hit.
The scheduled doubleheader only lasted one game due to weather. Game two is expected to be played sometime in May.
The team consists of eight seniors this year with half being four year starters, said head coach Joe Woityra.
Woityra attributed the team’s current success to their being “around that 380 mark” in hitting.
“Our top, probably, one through six or seven are hitting the ball very very well against any kind of pitching,” Woityra said. “We haven’t seen an elite pitcher yet but we have faced three good pitchers, I would say.”
However, even with their current winning streak, the ladies have a difficult season ahead.
“We’ve got a tough schedule this year, we’re going to see probably five of the top ten ranked teams. Clarkston is in our league which, they’re ranked third in the state now. I know Regina, we have a double header with them, I think they’re in the top five in the state. Anchor Bay and Dakota, we will see them. Waterford Kettering, we’ll see them in districts,” Woityra said. “So I can always say I want to do better, our goal is to get better each game and every week of the season and then ultimately win the last game of the season.”
Looking forward into districts, Woityra is hoping to round out his starting players so they’re ready to take on Clarkston, who he believes will be their biggest competition.
As the no. three team in the state and school rival, defeating Clarkston is expected to be an uphill battle in and of itself.
“My money is always on my team,” said Woityra. “We’re working hard on several things to beat them. We have the pitching and we have the hitting.
Woityra is currently predicting a three-team race for who will win the district tournament and move on to regionals.