Softball, Baseball Both Win Division Crowns

SOFTBALL — For the first time in 15 years, the Hartland softball team is a division champion.

The Eagles held their ground in the first game of a makeup doubleheader against Grand Blanc for a 5-3 win, which secured the Kensington Lakes Activities Association West Division title.

“One of our goals was to win the division and we did that,” Hartland coach Carl Gabrielson said. “Another goal was to beat some quality teams and we’ve done that. We’re 26-3 and on a 15-game winning streak.”

The last time Hartland won a division title was in 1996 when it was in the Kensington Valley Conference. The Eagles won the state title that season.

Hartland, which won the nightcap 5-0, will play for the Lakes Conference title on Monday.

“We want to win the title,” Gabrielson said. “We want to get that experience. ... The more of these big games you win, the more confidence it gives you going into the next round.”

Abbie Minsker got the win on the mound in both games. She had 11 strikeouts in the first game and three in the second.

“In the second game the kids played great defense,” Gabrielson said. “Abbie didn’t have as many strikeouts as she usually does, but we played very well on defense.”

The first game, which began with Hartland leading 5-0 in the second inning after it was postponed from Wednesday, went seven innings. 

Shelby Hard had a two-run home run; Kayla Gustitus had three hits and two runs; and Minsker had two key hits.

In the nightcap, Laura Oliver had two hits, an RBI and a run; Katie Tackett had a hit and an RBI; and Gustitus had a single, a run and an RBI.

BASEBALL — The Eagles earned a tie for the Kensington Lakes Activities Association West Division title with Howell after sweeping Grand Blanc on Saturday, according to the KLAA website.

The Eagles defeated the Bobcats 6-1, 7-2, according to the site, finishing the year at 24-2 overall and 14-2 in the division.

Hartland, however, will play for the conference title on Monday because of a higher run differential, according an article in the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus. That opponent will be Walled Lake Central, according to the KLAA site.

Friday

GIRLS TENNIS — Hartland finished fifth at the Division 1 regional at Novi on Friday.

“It’s a great finish for such a young team this year,” Hartland coach Judy Jagdfeld said. “Losing 16 out of 20 players from last year, it looked like this year would be a building year, however this young team has surprised and thrilled me.”

The Eagles finished fourth in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association West Division and tied for third at the Lakes Conference meet.

“We beat two first-place teams in other divisions,” Jagdfeld said. “We won the Howell tournament and came in second at the Lakeland tournament. So we’re looking forward to next year.”

Northville won the regional with 29 points. Novi was second (26), Brighton third (14), Livonia Stevenson fourth (10) and Hartland fifth (9).

At No. 2 singles, freshman Rachel Byron made it to the finals, falling to top-seeded Erin Doud of Northville.

BOYS GOLF — It was a great learning experience for Hartland as the Eagles finished 10th out of 30 teams in the East Lansing Spring Classic Friday.

“I was pleased with the efforts,” Hartland coach Nathan Oake said. “This was the first time in this tournament for many of these guys. Our goal was to get experience on a state finals course hoping we may get to play on it at some point in the future.”

The 36-hole tournament was held at Forest Akers East and West on the campus of Michigan State University.

Hartland shot a 327 on the West course and a 324 on the East course, both par 72s.

“It was a great event,” Oake said. “We worked on staying relaxed and working on one hole at a time on such long day. Overall, it was a great day for experience and teaching.”

On the West course, Austin Rivet shot 79, Adam Firavich shot 82, Grant Klopfenstein shot 82 and Craig Stoddard shot 84.

On the East course, Firavich posted a 77, Klopfenstein shot 79, and Rivet and Chris McRae shot 84s.

On Sunday, Hartland is playing another 36-hole tournament in Grand Rapids, held by Forest Hills Central.

“It’s going to be another long day, but it will be a good test,” Oake said.

TRACK AND FIELD — Hartland girls finished third at regionals Friday at Milford High School. For our complete story, click here.

BOYS BASEBALL — Click here for our spotlight on the team that ran Friday.

Thursday

BOYS GOLF —Grant Klopfenstein shot a one-over par 37 at Oak Pointe Country Club as Hartland defeated Brighton, 155-159, on Thursday.

"I'm proud of the guys," Hartland coach Nathan Oake said. "They looked relaxed and, most importantly, they looked focused."

Chris Pentescu and Austin Rivet shots 39s and Craig Stoddard posted a 40.

"We got a bit of a wake-up call last night," Oake said. "We still need to remain focused and guard against big mistakes in nine-hole matches. We did that much, much better today and that's what we need to get in the habit of doing."

GIRLS LACROSSE — Hartland defeated East Lansing 9-6 on Thursday to end the season with a 11-3 record, according to Hartlandlacrosse.com.

Natalie Sochacki led the Eagles with four goals, Ryan Skomial and Rachel Sharpe both scored two each and Courtney Lee netted one, the website said.

The team next plays Friday against Huron Valley in the first round of the district playoffs, the site said.

Wednesday

BOYS LACROSSE — Hartland defeated Zeeland West, 13-7, in a pre-regional game.

The Eagles, seeded No. 8 in the Holt region, face No. 1 seed Ada Forest Hills Eastern on May 26 at 6 p.m.

"We have a week to prepare and will be working hard to fine tune our skills and strategy," Hartland coach Mike Holka said.

In Wednesday's win, Austin MacDonald had three goals and two assists; CJ Reuschlein had three goals and one assist; Chris Griffin had two goals; Jack Bontekoe had two goals; Andrew Skowyra had one goal and two assists; Nick Lipon had one goal and two assists; Rocky Crotty had one goal and three assists; Buck Short had 10 saves in net; and Jordan Martin had seven takeaways and two shot checks.

"Both teams played very well considering the weather and field conditions," Holka said. 

BOYS GOLF — The Eagles struggled at Timber Trace against Pinckney on Wednesday, falling 149-161.

"They got us pretty well out there today," Hartland coach Nathan Oake said. "We did not play particularly well."

Adam Firavich shot a 37, Austin Rivet posted a 40, Chris McRae shot 41 and Grant Klopfenstein had a 43.

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK  — Soccer's Lexie Schmidt, golf's Chris McRae and Jack Bontekoe of boys lacrosse are the latest Fenton State Bank Athletes of the Week for Hartland High School.

Schmidt was nominated by coach Andrew Kartsounes who said: "The Hartland junior forward and co-captain led the Eagles to a historic three-win week scoring two goals and adding two assists. Lexie scored the winning goal in the Eagles 1-0 victory over Pinckney, then scored the first goal and drew the penalty kick in Hartland’s first ever victory over Brighton 2-1, and ended the week assisting on the winning goal as Hartland beat (Division 3's No. 2 team) Williamston 2-0."

McRae was nominated by Coach Nathan Oake who said: "Freshman Chris McRae had a solid week for the Hartland Golf team. McRae shot a 2-over par 37 at Prestwick Village Golf Club on May 9 and followed it up with a 2-over par 37 at the next day. McRae’s strong play helped the Eagles to victories over two state-ranked teams (last) week, as well as helping them secure a place atop the tough KLAA West with the victories."

Bontekoe was nominated coach Mike Holka who said: "For the week, Jack had four goals, 14 face-off wins and nine ground balls. Jack had the game-winning goal against Waterford in over time. Jack is also an exceptional student, carrying near a 4.0 grade point average, he will be attending West Point Military Academy."

GIRLS SOFTBALL — Rain postponed a game vs. Grand Blanc that is scheduled to be made up Saturday. Senior night festivities still were held. For our story, click .

FRESHMAN ORIENTATION NIGHT — A 6 p.m. freshman orientation meeting about athletics for incoming students and their parents is scheduled for May 24 in the auditorium at the , 9525 E. Highland Rd.

See the attached PDF for more information.

Tuesday

GIRLS TENNIS — The Eagles tied for third at the KLAA Lakes Conference tournament on Tuesday.

Grand Blanc finished first with 33 points, Brighton was second with 25 and Milford and Hartland tied for third with 13 apiece.

Abby Haughie, at No. 1 singles, and Rachel Byron, at No. 2 singles, both finished runner-up in their flights.

BOYS GOLF — The Eagles tied their best nine-hole score of the season, but still got beat by Grand Blanc, 148-152, at Dunham Hills on Tuesday.

"We played well considering the cold weather and wind," Hartland coach Nathan Oake said. "Grant (Klopfenstein) and Austin (Rivet) continued to play strong. We dropped a couple shots here and there, but I was pleased with the effort. ... If we can save one or two shots a guy here and there, we'll be right in there with the best teams in the state." 

Hartland drops to 4-3 in the KLAA West and is tied with at least the Bobcats (4-2) and possibly Pinckney and Brighton, depending on their outcomes, for first place.

"Things will get sorted out this week," Oake said.

The Eagles play at Pinckney Wednesday.

In the match against Grand Blanc, Klopfenstein shot 36, Rivet shot 37, Adam Firavich shot 39 and Craig Stoddard shot 40.

Monday

BOYS GOLF — Austin Rivet finished as runner-up at the Birmingham Seaholm "Milliken Millworks" Invitational at the Indianwood Golf & Country Club's Old Course in Lake Orion on Monday.

The Eagles finished third overall with a team score of 322. Plymouth was first with a 317 and Novi was third (319) in the 22-team field.

"I'm proud of the guys and the way they hung in there," Hartland coach Nathan Oake said. "It was a cold, windy day, again, but they kept their composure and made the best they could out of it. ... Austin had a nice day all-around. Everything was working for him. He made some nice putts. He hit some very good shots and played smart today."

Adam Firavich shot 82, Craig Stoddard an 83 and Grant Klopfenstein an 83 on the par-70 course.

Hartland hosts Grand Blanc Tuesday at Dunham Hills.

GIRLS LACROSSE — Natalie Sochaki led Hartland with five goals and an assist in a 13-4 win over Waterford United.

Haley Crouse had four goals and one assist; Taylor Pryde had two goals; and Rachel Sharpe and Amber Crouse each added one goal.

"Amber Crouse was a key midfielder on the night, moving the ball up the field well and feeding it to the offense, earning four assists," Hartland coach Katie Gutteridge said. "Emily Bontekoe and Jessica Gust led the defense in slowing down the speed of Waterford and forcing several turnovers."

Tabitha Ferguson and Kelsey LaValley split time in goal. Ferguson had six saves and LaValley made nine.

Hartland (12-5, 6-2 KLAA Lakes) will play Northville Wednesday in the conference crossover.

GIRLS SOCCER — Six Eagles scored goals as Hartland cruised to an 8-0 win over Milford.

Lexie Schmidt scored a goal and had three assists; Michelle Rollins had two goals; Hailey Pleshakov scored two goals and had two assists; Shelby Gusfa had one goal; Karen Nichols had one goal; and Jess Bentley added one goal and one assist.

In net, Julie DeBus had one save for Hartland (11-1-3, 6-1-2 KLAA West).

BASEBALL — The bats were alive for the Eagles, who won 11-1 against Waterford Mott in six innings Monday.

Jake Jessen had a solo home run; Dan Richmond and Kyle Garner each had three hits; and Anthony Villar had two hits.

Cory Lewandowski got the win on the mound. He threw six innings, allowing seven hits and one earned run with two walks and five strikeouts.

Hartland hosts Grand Blanc Wednesday.

SOFTBALL  — Hartland cruised to a doubleheader sweep of Waterford Mott, 6-1 and 11-1, on Monday.

Abbie Minsker was the winning pitcher in both games, the second a five-inning mercy. She had 11 strikeouts in the opener and nine in the nightcap.

Shelby Hard led the offensive effort in the opener with two hits, including a double, two RBIs and a run; Katie Tackett had a double, single and a run; and Laura Oliver had two RBIs, a single and a run.

"We got in and did what we had to do," Hartland coach Carl Gabrielson said. "We had three extra-base hits in the first game. In the second game we had six extra-base hits. That gives us over 80 for the season right now, which is kind of scary."

In the second game, the Eagles (24-3) had 15 hits. Kayla Gustitus had two doubles, a single, three RBIs and three runs; Lindsey Pajot had three hits with a double, three RBIs and two runs; and Dariean Bennington had two doubles, an RBI and two runs.

The Eagles will play for first place in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association West Division on Wednesday. Hartland (7-1 West) hosts Grand Blanc (6-2) needing to win just one of two to clinch the title.

"It should be a fun night," Gabrielson said. "It's our senior night, too."