Districts start on Saturday

By Anthony Schulte
Sports Contributor
ORION TWP. — In the midst of a four-game losing streak, Lake Orion looked to stop the bleeding with a series against the rival Clarkston Wolves.
The Dragons earned a 10-4 victory in game one of the three game series on May 22.
Lake Orion started hot, scoring three runs in the first inning and another in the second. Five runs crossed the plate in the fifth inning, and the Dragons tacked on one more in the seventh.
Clarkston answered with four seventh inning runs, but the comeback would fall short. Dragon ace Kael Gahan had another solid outing, tallying five innings of scoreless work while striking out seven batters.
The Dragons continued their winning ways in game two on Thursday, winning 6-4.
The Wolves struck first with a single first inning run. Lake Orion answered with four runs in the third inning led by Joey Bruno, Carson Womack, Casey Robertson and Brandon Nepjuk all driving in runs.
Clarkston fired back with a run in the third inning and two in the fourth, but the Dragons sealed the win with a run in both the fifth and sixth innings.
However, Clarkston found revenge in the final game of the series on Friday, scoring first with two first inning runs. As the game progressed, the Wolves added four more runs until Lake Orion put together a late comeback attempt.
With two runs scored in the seventh, Robertson flew out to left field, ultimately ending the Dragons hope of a series sweep in the 6-2 loss.
Lake Orion was then off to Trenton on Saturday for an invitational series of games. The first contest was against the Woodhaven Warriors, and the Dragons won convincingly, 8-2. Gahan was back to work on the mound, only allowing two hits, one run, and striking out 12 batters.
After scoring two runs in both the fourth and fifth innings, Lake Orion tacked on four in the sixth on the backs of Tristan Hill and Womack, both garnering RBIs.
Their next game was against the Riverview Pirates. Lake Orion gave up four runs then answered with four of their own in the fourth inning. Both teams scored a single run in the fifth. The sixth inning proved pivotal, with Lake Orion scoring one run to grab the lead and ultimately the 6-5 win.
The Dragons final matchup was against the Trenton Trojans, and the game ended in a rare tie. Due to the invitational format, the game only lasted seven innings, no matter the score.
Trenton struck first with two first inning runs. Lake Orion answered with two runs in the third inning. Trenton and Lake Orion both scored one more time each before the seventh, where both teams again scored one run. The game ended 4-4.
Lake Orion had one final series before state playoffs, a senior night double-header against Macomb Dakota on Tuesday. The Dragons (21-13-1) are scheduled to play West Bloomfield (23-10) at noon on Saturday at West Bloomfield in the MHSAA District 29 semifinal game. The winner advances to the district final at 2 p.m.