Young talent boosts White Lake Lakeland softball with 4 freshmen starting

Longtime White Lake Lakeland softball coach Mike Cleary had never started four freshmen in the same game before this spring. But he didn’t hesitate when he filled out his first lineup card of the season against sixth-ranked Grand Blanc, a team the Eagles (3-1, 2-0) split with on April 8, nor did he flinch when he did it again in their Lakes Valley Conference opener against Walled Lake Western on April 14. Judging by how well the foursome performed in those 19-9 and 14-4 mercy-rule victories vs.

the Warriors, it’s easy to see why Cleary has so much confidence in the rookies — catcher Lexi Zamenski and outfielders Hayden Pawlak, Lily Eller and Abby Schlotterer. “They showed up in the fall and have been working hard all year long,” Cleary said. “It’s like one game after the next when one of these freshmen comes up and does something really good.

Abby had a really great game against Grand Blanc, and Lily did it today. They just know how to play and aren’t intimidated to be here. ” Against Western, each stepped up in big ways, especially Eller, a center fielder who saved the day when the Warriors made a comeback in Game 1.

While the game ended an inning early after Lakeland grabbed a 10-run lead in the sixth, Western trimmed its deficit to 9-8 midway through. Had Eller not turned a double play, snagging a fly in shallow center field and firing to second base for the second out, the Warriors might not have lost momentum. Lakeland’s bats heated up again shortly after, highlighted by Eller smacking her first career home run to score two runs and give the Eagles the spark they needed to close out the victory.