Sports
Lakeland Baseball, Softball Lose in District Semifinals
Softball's quest for seventh straight district title squashed in 1-0 loss.
HARTLAND — You could saying pitching was the enemy of the Lakeland baseball and softball teams in Saturday’s district action.
Lakeland softball, the 2010 Division 1 runner-up, was looking for its seventh consecutive district title, but was stymied by Hartland in a 1-0 loss.
“It doesn’t feel real, honestly,” Lakeland senior Devan Olah said. “We expected to play better against them than the last time and we did. We gave it 110 percent.”
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Hartland (29-4) beat Lakeland, 11-3, in a KLAA Lakes Conference crossover game earlier this season.
Hartland sophomore Abbie Minsker kept the Lakeland (30-8) hitters at bay Saturday. She allowed just three hits, with no walks and three strikeouts.
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“They played an outstanding game,” said Lakeland coach Joe Alsup of Hartland.
On the boys side, Lakeland (15-17) was kept off the bases by Hartland sophomore Jake Lowery.
“The kid threw a two-hitter,” Lakeland coach Todd Miller said. “He was all around the zone. He threw a great game. ... They beat us. They were the better team on the field. They played better defense, they pitched better and they hit better.”
Lowery had a no-hitter going through five innings. In the sixth, senior Zach Szajner tripled home a run with two outs.
“It felt good trying to make a difference, make something happen when you’re down,” Szajner said. “(Hartland) is very good. They’re well-coached and they play hard. That’s what happens when you run into a hot pitcher.”
Lakeland’s Tim Wilson and Kenneth Miller combined to allow eight runs and 11 hits in the loss.
The Lakeland softball team reached the quarterfinals in 2008 and 2009. It was the state runner-up in 2007 and reached the semifinals in 2005 and 2006.
Lakeland sophomore pitcher Selena Hicks only allowed six hits against Hartland, but three of them came in the third inning, when Hartland scored its only run.
“Hartland played a very good game,” Alsup said. “They got a couple loopers to drop in and we didn’t. There was good pitching and good defense. That’s what you expect in a 1-0 game. We just didn’t get the little breaks...We played the way we wanted to play. I’m proud of them.”
Both the Hartland baseball and softball teams went on to beat Milford and claim the district titles. They advance to regionals at Oxford on June 11.
