Clarkston engineered two come from behind victories on the final day of the Michigan Stars tournament to capture the Flight E softball championship. The Wolves defeated Imlay City 7-3 and Troy 7-6 to earn the Flight E trophy.
The Wolves were down 3-0 entering the bottom of the third against Troy in the championship game. Clarkston scored six runs in the inning to take a 6-3 lead. Bailey Mellen, Lauren Drumb and Robyn Bernard each hit an RBI single in the inning.
The Colts fired back when Nikki Burns hit a three-run homer in the top of the fourth to tie the game at six. Clarkston was not rattled, and Monique Guerreo scored the game-winning run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the fourth.
Clarkston and Troy only played four innings because of the one hour and 20 minutes time limit.
‘I think they are coming together and hitting the ball hard,? Clarkston Coach Don Peters said. ‘They hit some shots this weekend. They also gained some toughness. When you play five games in two days it’s tough. They showed good mental toughness. They were down in both games on Sunday.?
Earlier in the day, Clarkston found itself down 2-0 to Imlay City before Jessica Palace hit a triple, which knocked in two runs to tie the game.
Amber Giroux, Trisha Martens and Caitlin Morris each hit an RBI single in the fifth to give the Wolves a 5-3 lead, which they held.
The Wolves had a rough day on the first day of the Stars tournament. Clarkston started off strong with a 4-0 victory over Warren Mott.
Katie Smith and Kara Wandrie each scored two runs in the win and Megan Sperry and Linsey Upchurch each had one RBI.
In their next game, the Wolves fell 7-3 to Flushing. Upchurch, Giroux and Martens each scored one run in the loss.
Clarkston suffered a tough 2-1 loss to Alpena. The two teams were tied at one when the time limit expired. To determine a winner, each team started the inning with a runner on second base. Alpena was able to capitalize and score in the first inning with the new rules to take the win.
Overall, Peters was pleased with the Wolves? play at the tournament and said bringing home a trophy was good for the team.
‘I think it means a lot,? Peters said. ‘It’s always nice to bring home a trophy. You are constantly trying to get the team to come together. They got behind on Sunday and they started to focus.
“One of the things we are trying to get them to do is swing at good pitches. We tell the girls, ‘You have to swing when it’s your pitch, not her pitch.? When we came back, one girl got a hit and they all got excited.?
Earlier in the week, the Wolves dropped two league games to Lake Orion. The Dragons defeated Clarkston 1-0 and 6-3 on May 3. The Dragons? Amber Argo knocked in the only run in the first game.
In the second game, Lauren LaPine and Natalie Hunt each had RBI singles in the second and Kristin Larsen and Agro each had RBI singles in the third to give Lake Orion an early 4-0 lead.
In the bottom of the third, Wandrie hit a two-run single to score Smith and Guerreo. Both teams scored a run in the fifth, but the Dragons were able to hold on for the win.
Clarkston will try to keep its momentum going when it takes on Birmingham Groves on May 10, Utica on May 12 and has a rematch with Troy on May 15.