JV Baseball Wins Another Tournament While Varsity Splits Games

BASEBALL — The Hartland High School junior varsity baseball team won the championship Saturday at the Frankenmuth Baseball Tournament, according to an email submitted by Joe Betoski, a parent of one of the players on the team.

Hartland beats Clare and Bishop Foley to advance to championship game against the Frankenmuth Eagles, Betoski said. Hartland jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the first inning and the took the championship by mercying the Eagles 16-1 in the fourth inning.

Its the second week in a row the team has captured a tournament. Last week, Hartland .

The varisty team was knocked out of contention for the Shelander tournament with a 4-1 loss to Howell, which later won the tournament. The Eagles came back to beat Westland John Glenn in a second game 4-3.

Hartland's varsity is now 19-2 on the year and next plays 4 p.m. Monday at Waterford Kettering.

Friday

BASEBALL — Hartland's Jake Lowery seems to be able to do it all. Not only can he pitch but he can also hit and that was evident in the Eagles' 12-2 win over Walled Lake Western on Friday at home.

Lowery finished with two hits, including a two-run homer in the third inning and an RBI single in a six-run second inning.

Hartland is now 18-1 on the year.

Jake Jessen finished off his week with the win on the mound. He struck out five, but struggled early on with his first batter faced hitting a shot to deep center over the head of Dan Richmond.

The Eagles flexed their offensive muscle in the second inning. Jessen and Corey Lewandoski led off the inning with hits before the next two batters flied out. Then Hartland bats generated six straight hits.

"We had a lot of good at bats and put a lot of good swings on pitches," said coach Brian Morrison. "We swung really well in the first few innings.  Tomorrow's a new day, the scoreboard will say zero-zero so hopefully we can get it going again."

The Eagles are scheduled to play in the Shelander Baseball Tournament on Saturday that begins with a 9 a.m. game vs. Howell at home.

BOYS LACROSSE — Austin MacDonald led the way with four goals and an assist as the Eagles rolled over Walled Lake Central, 18-7, on Friday.

Brennan Sopko added three goals and an assist; Andrew Skowyra had two goals and two assists; Jack Bontekoe added two goals; and Chris Griffin chipped in two goals.

Buck Short played in net in the first half, making six saves. Rocky Crotty played the second half, making eight saves.

The Eagles (7-5, 3-2 KLAA) play at Grand Blanc on May 13.

Thursday

SOCCER — Hartland took a solid hold of the No. 2 spot in the KLAA West with a 0-0 tie against Grand Blanc on Thursday.

"It was a hard-fought, high-paced match," Hartland coach Andrew Kartsounes said. 

Julie DeBus made six saves for the Eagles (6-1-3, 3-1-2 West).

GIRLS TENNIS — Hartland won its second KLAA crossover, beating Livonia Stevenson, 5-4.

"It was a very close match," Hartland coach Judy Jagdfeld said. "It came down to four doubles flights having split sets. We won two of them. The No. 1 doubles team (of Allison Beaver and Caitlin Distelrath) were the last ones left on the courts and they came through to win 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-3."

Justine Mixter and Kelly Shanahan won at No. 5 doubles, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, for the Eagles (6-3, 2-3 KLAA West). 

Hartland 5, Livonia Stevenson 4

SINGLES — Aimee Moccia (LS) d. Abby Haughie 6-2, 6-1; Rachel Byron (H) d. Laura Gumpper 6-2, 6-1; Kaitlyn Ratliff (H) d. Ashley Benvenuti 6-1, 6-0; Swan Germain (H) d. Melissa Martinez 6-3, 6-3.

DOUBLES — Allison Beaver-Caitlin Distelrath (H) d. Lexie Ranski-Kathryn Malkowski 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3; Taylor Tinham-Maiko Reutimann (LS) d. Lexie Hayes-Alex Piper 0-6, 6-2, 6-3; Kesley Futrell-Lauren Arsenault (LS) d. Mattie Raush-Caitie Helm 6-0, 6-2; Laura Shureb-Melina Canzano (LS) d. Brianna Conway-Elle Cook 6-3, 4-6, 7-5; Justine Mixter-Kelly Shanahan (H) d. Jenny Cami-Caroline Hay 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Wednesday

SOFTBALL — Hartland swept a doubleheader from Milford, 11-1 and 2-0, on Wednesday.

The two wins move the Eagles (17-3 overall) into first place in the KLAA West at 5-1.

The Eagles jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning of the opener when Chantel Olschanski doubled with bases loaded. In the sixth, Lindsey Pajot had a two-run double and Abbie Minsker had an RBI single. In the seventh, Pajot had an RBI single and Kayla Gustitus had an RBI double.

Shelby Hard and Hannah Greene also added two hits in the first game. Minsker was the winning pitcher, striking out seven. 

The nightcap was scoreless until the sixth inning. Sarah Tomlinson led off with a single, went to second on a single by Hard and scored on a double by Pajot. In the seventh, with two outs, Tomlinson singled, advanced to third on a hit by Hard and scored on a passed ball.

Minsker got the win on the mound, allowing two hits and striking out five.

On Friday, the Eagles host Walled Lake Western and will be celebrating the 15th anniversary of their 1996 state championship.

BASEBALL — Hartland's Jake Jessen finished with three hits including a two-run home run Wednesday in the team's sweep against Milford.

Jessen's third inning home run in the teams first win over Milford, 6-2, didn't just tie the game and give his team the lead for good. It also set the tone for things to come as his lead off hit in the second game started a six run inning in a 13-0 rout over the Mavericks.

Corey Lewandoski pitched the second game and struck out eight batters in five innings. He gave up just one hit in the third inning to Dan Jaklic. Jake Lowery threw the first contest finishing with 9 strikeouts and a complete game.

Dan Richmond and Sean Bennett each hit home runs for Hartland. The Eagles are now 15-1 on the season. The Eagle's next game is Friday against Walled Lake Western.

GIRLS LACROSSE — Hartland lost 14-5 to Brighton on Wednesday, according to Hartlandlacrosse.com.

The website reported that Rachel Sharpe and Natalie Sochacki scored two goals each while Taylor Pryde added one.

The Eagles, now 6-3 on the year, next play 7 p.m. Friday at Ann Arbor Pioneer.

BOYS LACROSSE — CJ Reushchlien had two goals to lead Hartland in a 7-6 overtime loss to East Lansing.

"We knew this was going to be a tough game and that we would need to play well to win," Hartland coach Mike Holka said. "We led for the majority of the time in close game, but East Lansing played very well in the closing minutes and overtime to pull out the win."

Austin MacDonald, Chris Griffin and Brennan Sopko added goals for the Eagles (6-5). Josh Domke had two assists and Jordan Martin had seven groundballs and five takeaways. Buck Short and Rocky Crotty split time in goal and both finished with seven saves.

Tuesday

BASEBALL — Hartland swept a doubleheader from Swartz Creek on Tuesday night.

The Eagles (13-1) took the opener, 3-2, and the nightcap, 12-0 in five innings.

In the first game, Shane Felix had two hits and an RBI; Jake Jessen had two hits; and Travis Johnson had an RBI double.

Anthony Villar started on the mound and finished with 12 strikeouts. He was relieved by Erik Kangas with one out and bases loaded in the seventh. Kangas got a popout and a strikeout to end the game.

In the nightcap, Steve Milarch had two hits and two RBIs; Felix had two hits and three RBIs; and Sean Bennett had two hits and two RBIs.

Kangas got the win on the mound with Dominic Dallape finishing off in the fifth.

“We needed someone to step up and throw and Kangas did a great job,” Hartland coach Brian Morrison said.

GIRLS SOCCER — Lexie Schmidt had three goals to lead Hartland to a 5-0 win over Howell on Tuesday.

"We scored three goals in the first 15 minutes to take control of the game," Hartland coach Andrew Kartsounes said.

Michelle Rollins had two goals; Hailey Pleshakov had three assists; and Julie DeBus had six saves in goal for the Eagles (6-1-2, 3-1-1 KLAA West).

GIRLS TENNIS — The Eagles cruised to an 8-1 win over Livonia Franklin in their Kensington Lakes Activities Association crossover match Tuesday.

"This was the first crossover of the three divisions we have to play," Hartland coach Judy Jagdfeld said. "We had a sweep by the doubles teams. It was a great team effort to get this win."

Hartland (4-3, 2-3 West) play Livonia Stevenson on Thursday.

Hartland 8, Livonia Franklin 1

SINGLES — Angelica Woods (F) d. Abby Haughie 6-1, 6-1; Rachel Byron (H) d. Carolyn McCullon 6-0, default; Kaitlyn Ratliff (H) d. Kelsey Sitarski 6-0, 6-1; Swan Germain (H) d. Natalie Mays 6-0, 6-3.

DOUBLES — Allison Beaver-Caitlin Distelrath (H) d. Laura Corp-Sara Godinski 6-1, 6-0; Laura Seifert-Lexie Hayes (H) d. Nicole Tarecki-Brittany Borregard 6-0, 6-3; Mattie Raush-Caitie Helm (H) d. Renee Kozakowski-Bria Tiller 6-3, 6-1; Brianna Conway-Elle Cook (H) d. Jamie Bucharszenko-Kayla Bucharszenko 6-4, 3-6, 6-3; Justine Mixter-Alex Piper (H) d. Amanda Lyon-Katelyn Herrin 6-0, 6-0.

Monday

SOFTBALL — An eight-run second inning led the Hartland softball team to a 12-0, five-inning mercy of Walled Lake Northern on Monday.

“It was a big win tonight,” Hartland coach Carl Gabrielson said. 

A foursome led the Eagles (15-3) as Chantel Olschanski had three RBIs; Shelby Hard had four hits, three runs and an RBI; Kayla Gustitus had three hits, two runs and two RBIs; and Lindsey Pajot added three hits, one run and four RBIs.

“Those four produced the lion’s share of the attack,” Gabrielson said. “We had five doubles and one triple.”

Abby Minsker was the winning pitcher, allowing just five hits.

“Our defense is still playing very well,” Gabrielson said. “This is our third mercy in a row. We’re seeing the ball, hitting the ball well, scoring runs. We’ve got good pitching and defense. That’s about all you can ask for. ... And we’re having fun, which is a big plus for us.”

BOYS LACROSSE — Hartland beat Walled Lake Northern, 12-7, on Monday.

Austin MacDonald had four goals; Andrew Skowyra had three goals and an assist; Jack Bontekoe had two goals and two assists; Brennan Sopko had two goals and three assists; and Brad Maschke had six takeaways and eight groundballs.

Buck Short and Rocky Crotty combined for six saves.

TENNIS — The Eagles earned a 7-2 win over Walled Lake Central on Monday.

The Eagles swept the singles flights and lost at No. 1 and 3 doubles.

"We had outstanding play across the board," Hartland coach Judy Jagdfeld said.

Hartland 7, Walled Lake Central 2

SINGLES — Abby Haughie (H) d. Stacy Indianer 6-0, 6-4; Rachel Byron (H) d. Vanessa Pojiaev 6-1, 6-4; Kaitlyn Ratliff (H) d. Nicole Stawasz 6-3, 6-2; Swan Germain (H) d. Jessica Molnar 6-0, 6-0.

DOUBLES — Marybeth Rice-Haley Linkous (WLC) d. Allison Beaver-Caitlin Distelrath 7-5, 7-6 (5); Laura Seifert-Lexie Hayes (H) d. Britt Buchanon-Yuka Yamanishi 6-1, 6-2; Nicole Cervin-Caroline Malmgren (WLC) d. Mattie Raush-Caitie Helm 6-4, 3-6, 6-3; Briana Conway-Elle Cook (H) d. Brooke Feinstein-Katie Penrod 6-4, 7-5; Kelly Shanahan-Alex Piper (H) d. Briana Wright-Miranda Brunette 6-4, 6-3.

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK — Baseball's Dan Richmond, boys lacrosse's Jordan Martin and girls track's Anna Pasternak are the latest Fenton State Bank Athletes of the Week for Hartland High School.

Richmond, nominated by baseball coach Brian Morrison, was six for 14 for the week (.429 BA), helping the Eagles go 3-1 against Howell, Walled Lake Central, and Adrian. He also scored nine runs and had on-base average of .529.

"Dan also had a two-run home run, a double, and one of the best defensive catches in centerfield that I have ever seen," Morrison said in nominating him.

Martin was nominated by boys lacrosse coach Mike Holka who noted he is a team captain and the "cornerstone" of the squad's defense this year.

In a win over Walled Lake Western, Martin had three take aways while in a close loss to Huron Valley he had five and a shot check, Holka said.

Pasternak, a senior, was recognized for her recent strong performances on the track. She on the 800 meters in 2:23.6 and the 3,200 meters in 11:28.4 vs. Howell. During a recent invitational at Michigan State University, Pasternak was first in the 3,200 meters with a 11:14.2, helped the Eagles to a second place finish in the 4 x 800 with a split time of 2:21 and an eighth place finish in the 4 x 400, according to coach Beverly Guile.