BY DAVE PEMBERTON
Clarkston News Sports Writer
Spring break did not come at a good time for the Clarkston baseball team.
The Wolves were 2-0 and ranked No. 7 in the state before the break. The week back, the Wolves went 4-3 and followed that up with a tough 8-4 loss to rival Lake Orion on May 1.
‘We were playing real well before spring break, but then we had that 12 day layoff so that threw a wrench into what we were doing,? Clarkston Coach Phil Price said after the loss to Lake Orion. ‘Today was one of the better games we played. They battled, but we gave them too many things.
‘We have to stop beating ourselves. We didn’t make them earn all the runs. A couple we just gave to them. When you play a good team like Lake Orion you can’t just give them runs.?
The Wolves (6-4, 1-3) took an early lead against the Dragons. Steve Vanderheyden and Steve McIsaac each had an RBI single in the first to give Clarkston a 2-0 lead.
McIsaac pitched out of two jams in the first two innings. In both innings, Lake Orion left a man on second and third.
In the third, the Dragons? Joe Barnes hit a triple and then scored on a wild pitch. Clarkston’s McIsaac was then able to get three straight outs with a man on third.
The Dragons started off the fourth with three straight hits and tied the game on a fielder’s choice double play.
Lake Orion added two more runs in the sixth and Dragon Nick Dunstan hit a double in the seventh that scored three runs.
Clarkston tried to mount a comeback in the seventh, but fell short. Brian Phillips hit a two-run homer in his only at-bat in the bottom of the seventh.
‘I thought McIsaac did a real nice job pitching,? Price said. ‘His pitch count got up high and we’re just not going to do that to a kid. When a pitch count gets high, the game isn’t worth it.?
Vanderheyden went 3-for-3 before hurting his knee in the top of the seventh. McIsaac went 2-for-2 with one RBI and a walk and Eric Ogg went 2-for-3 and scored a run.
On Saturday, Clarkston went 2-1 at the Chippewa Valley tournament. The Wolves defeated Chippewa Valley 11-7, lost to Dakota 19-4 and beat St. Clair Shores Lakeshore 14-1.
The two wins were welcome for the Wolves after they fell 3-2 to Troy on April 28 and 3-2 to Royal Oak Kimball on April 26.
The results for the May 2 game against Brandon were not available at press time for this edition of The Clarkston News.
Clarkston faces West Bloomfield on May 3 and Farmington on May 5 in league action. The Wolves then face Ann Arbor Pioneer on May 6.