An OAA I league championship and a lineup that features seven seniors had many excited about the postseason possibilities for the Lake Orion softball team.
Unfortunately, regular season success doesn’t always transfer into the postseason, and the Dragons found that out first hand, as they fell victim to a dominate pitching performance, in a 9-0 loss to Romeo at home on June 3.
Pitcher Lauren Gabrielson and the rest of the Romeo squad hadn’t been able to get past the Dragons in district play the last two years and certainly wanted to buck that trend.
Gabrielson allowed just two hits, relatively harmless ones, in the final two innings with her team already well ahead.
On the offensive side, Romeo got to Dragon pitcher Danielle Dunn for one run each in the first and third innings.
But the floodgates opened in the final two innings, as Romeo added two in the sixth (off of Dunn) and five in the seventh (off of Christina Collins).
Romeo had nine runs and 14 hits when all was said and done.
‘They hit the ball, we didn’t,? coach Denny Davis said afterwards.
Davis said Dunn, just a freshman, might have put a bit too much pressure on herself.
‘But we didn’t play very well behind her,? he added. ‘We didn’t hit the ball.?
Davis did not use the senior all-night party the night before as an excuse for the team’s lack of execution.
‘If they didn’t get enough sleep that’s something they’ll learn,? he said. ‘I can’t be their mother or dad.?
In spite of the disappointing end to the season, Davis was still pleased, and promised that the team will do its best to keep up its winning ways.
‘We will not rebuild – we’re not going to accept that,? he said.
Dunn, along with Amber Agro (who had one of the Dragons two hits versus Romeo) and Sasha Perryman will be the returning starters next season.
They will be charged with replacing four different four-year starters in catcher Eileen Frezza, centerfielder Lauren LaPine, and infielders Sam Bell and Kristin Larsen.
‘We had a good season,? Davis said. ‘Nobody expected us to win the league.?