PONTIAC – Those screech marks in Pontiac are from all that burnt rubber.
Humming with the finely-tuned precision of a pristine race car, host-Pontiac Notre Dame Prep zoomed to a ninth straight Division 2 district title on the softball diamond Saturday, smacking a total of 27 hits and outscoring its’ competition a combined 20-4.
After blanking Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood 10-0 in the semifinals, the Fighting Irish beat Birmingham Marian 10-4 in the district championship game.
Last spring, Notre Dame Prep (30-9 in 2015) advanced into the quarterfinals. On Saturday, longtime skipper Betty Wroubel’s Fighting Irish club was back in peak postseason form.
“We really gave a complete effort today,” Wroubel said. “We were clicking in all three major facets of the game, we were spraying the ball on offense, finding the strike zone from the pitching circle and playing flawless defense. That’s a recipe for success. It was a special kind of performance.”
In the district finals versus Marian, Notre Dame Prep put 18 hits on the board, witnessing its entire roster tally at least one single apiece.
Wroubel’s been in the dugout at the school since 1979, back when it was known as Pontiac Catholic. She bagged win No. 800 last month.
Sophomore spinner Caley Gleason recorded both wins in the circle Saturday, picking up where she left off in last year’s playoff run when she came of age with some brilliant pitching as a fabulous freshman in the district and regional rounds of the 2014 state tournament.
Senior Hannah Bullard headlined the Fighting Irish bats, crushing home runs against both Cranbrook Kingswood in the opener and Marian in the finale.
“Hannah’s been just phenomenal, she’s pounding the ball all over the place,” said Wroubel of her team captain.
The example Bullard and the rest of the program’s seniors have set for the younger girls on the team has been invaluable.
“All these girls play for each other, they seem to work harder every day and that’s because of our excellent leadership and focus,” Wroubel said.
The nine district crowns in a row is a new all-time mark for the Fighting Irish athletic department.
“I didn’t even know about the nine consecutive districts until after the game, it’s an amazing accomplishment for these young ladies,” Wroubel said. “They set the bar pretty high.” (MLive.com, May 30, 2015)