By Wendi Reardon Price
Staff Writer
wprice@mihomepaper.com
OXFORD — The Dragons excitedly claimed the MHSAA Division 1 Softball District 31 championship at Oxford High School on May 31.
“It was our second goal,” said Joe Woityra, head coach, after Lake Orion defeated Clarkston in the district championship, 8-2. “Winning the league was the first goal. This was our second goal. Our next goal is to try to make it to Lansing again.

“We played great,” he added. “We pitched wonderful today. Timely hitting which was nice. I was surprised we got the ball out of the park with the wind blowing in like it was.”
Both team were scoreless after the first inning. After two outs in the bottom of the second inning, senior Macie Freeman hit the ball for a home run to put the Dragons up, 1-0.
During the bottom of the third inning, Lake Orion struck again with two home runs. The first game from sophomore Gabrielle Goleski with two runs on her home run hit. Senior Jadalyn Lopez hit the second home run to end the inning, 4-0.
The Dragons brought the score up to 8-0 during the sixth inning with an RBI from senior Addison Dukus, a 2-run home run from Rylee Limberger and another home run from Lopez with one run.
The Wolves had two runs at the top of the seventh inning from senior NaKenna Knowlton off a double.
Up until those runs the Dragons had no runs scored on them throughout the district playoffs.
“Our pitching is peaking when we need it to. Brooke Teague, she’s a freshman, did a nice job in the first game,” said Woityra. “Rylee did a wonderful job. She put the team on her back and threw really well. That’s kind of what we have been talking about for four years with her is this year would be important for her to put the team on her back and carry us.”

During the district final, Limberger pitched seven innings with six hits, two earned runs and ten strikeouts.
Lopez went 3-for-4 in hitting for the day and sophomore Dylan Hazen went 2-for-2.
The Dragons opened district playoffs with a 17-0 win in three innings over Waterford Kettering, May 27.
Limberger went 3-for-3 in hitting with a home run, two doubles and had six RBIs. Lopez went 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBIs. Sophomore Lilly Martin went 2-for-2 with two RBIs. Dukus went 1-for-1 with three RBIs; senior Megan Ducharme went 1-for-2 with one RBI; and sophomore Riley Koivula went 2-for-2 with two doubles.
Limberger pitched for three innings with eight strikeouts.
Lake Orion won the district semifinal against Waterford Mott in three innings, 15-0.
Koivula went 3-for-3 in hitting with two RBIs. Ducharme had three RBIs off her one hit. Senior Macie

Freeman had two RBIs. Hazen and Dukus each had one RBI of their one hit. Hill, Limberger, Lopez and Goleski each had one RBI.
Teague pitched for three innings with eight strikeouts.
The Dragons finished the regular season as OAA Red champions with one loss in the league to Stoney Creek.
“Four years for our seniors for winning the league and four years for winning the district,” Woityra. “If we could get back to Lansing that would be icing. It will be tough. Things will change. It will be 60 mile per hour pitching and it will be close by one run games. There are good teams coming through the districts we are going to face. We will be ready. We will gear up for it.”
The Dragons (26-9) played Walled Lake Northern (30-6) in the regional semifinal on Saturday, 10 a.m. The winner plays in the regional final at 2 p.m. Both games are played at Grand Blanc High School.
The regional champion playin the MHSAA Division 1 Softball Quarterfinal 4 at Northville High School on Tuesday, June 10, 4:30 p.m.