State titles might be hard to come by, but not this June in Lake Orion.
For the fourth time in the past five games, the LO baseball squad came from behind, and this time they won the state championship, beating Farmington 4-3 last Saturday at Bailey Park’s C.O. Brown Stadium.
The team joined the girls? golf team from LOHS as state champs this spring.
“They don’t just give out state championships,” Coach Andy Schramek said. “We earned this one today on hard work. They’re going to remember this game for the rest of their life.”
Lake Orion scored the winning run on an RBI single up the middle from Nick Dunstan with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, scoring Joe Barnes from second.
Barnes was hit by a Cam Fowler pitch with one out in the inning. After five pickoff attempts at first base and a pitch out, Barnes finally swiped second base.
“If I got on second, I knew we were going to have a chance to win,” Barnes said. “We got the job done.”
As he had twice before in the playoffs, Dunstan played the role of Mr. Clutch and knocked in the winning run.
“Coach said to hit the ball up the middle and that would get the job done,” Dunstan said. “I’ve been waiting four years. I’m glad I get to walk off of Lake Orion on a good note.”
Dunstan’s phrase “walk off” was truly accurate.
The Dragons never led in the game, but hung close all day long.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, they tied the game without ever getting the ball out of the infield.
Barnes beat out a routine ground ball to shortstop, stole second base and then scored from second on an infield single by Dunstan. Falcon second baseman Dan Pochmara bobbled Dunstan’s grounder and then had to wait for first baseman Burny Mitchem to get in position for his throw.
As Dunstan legged it out, Barnes scored easily, on a play that was very similar to the last one of the season.
The Dragons got a complete-game outing from Josh Deeg (9-0), who got stronger as the night went on, allowing just one hit and no runs after the third inning.
“I would’ve needed a crowbar today to take the ball out of his hands toward the end of the game,” Schramek said. “I am very proud of the way that, after the first couple of innings, he got after it.”
Deeg fell behind 2-0 in the first inning and 3-1 in the third, but made some adjustments as the night went on.
“You never know how many runs we’re going to score,” Deeg said. “I just had to keep them to nothing more.”
“The seniors wanted it so bad,” the junior added. “All of our hard work has paid off.”
Schramek noted that a different player stepped up big in every game.
‘Every single one of our kids, in the last couple of weeks, has done something,? he said. ‘That’s the sign of a good team.?
On Saturday it was Barnes? turn, as the second baseman was involved in every Dragon run, scoring three of them and knocking in the other with a third inning double.
‘I think, this year, he was probably the best hitter in the state, hitting over .500,? Schramek said. ‘He gets us going.?
It was the third time Lake Orion and Farmington met this season, after splitting their two regular season battles. Farmington finished the season at 28-9, while LO went a school-best 31-5.
‘I think you were watching the two best teams in Michigan play today,? Schramek said, calling the OAA I the best conference in the state. ‘I don’t even know if it’s close for second.?
