HARTLAND ? Softball is a sport where a top pitcher and some pretty good defense can win games.
Despite a great regular season that included a league and district title, Lake Orion Coach Joe Woityra knew that things could get difficult in a march to a state title if they encountered a pitcher like Romeo’s senior Taylor Weaver.
Weaver, the Michigan player of the year, hurled a four-hitter against Lake Orion’s strong offense to secure a 5-1 win. The victory came in the regional finals at Hartland on Saturday. The Bulldogs were rated second in the state entering the game while Lake Orion was sixth.
The Dragons made it to the regional title game by beating Troy, 5-4, in the semifinal match shortly before the regional final.
With the game tied, 1-1, Romeo put Lake Orion away by plating three runs in the fourth inning.
Lake Orion’s solid hitting attack just could not dent Weaver as she struck out eight and scattered the four hits.
Lake Orion’s only run came in the first inning on a single by Rachel Dolland.
The Troy game was a nail-biter as pitcher sierra Gonzales stopped the Colts? effort at an upset in the seventh inning.
The Dragons had a 5-2 lead going into the seventh. Two runs scored on a double and the Colts had runners on second and third with two outs but Gonzales got the final out on a drive to center field to preserve the win.
Lake Orion put the game out of reach by scoring three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Kennedi Thomas had an RBI single and Kayla Knoblock blasted a two-run homer to right center. ?