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The Blazers tightened their hold on first place in the Lake Michigan Conference with a sweep of Harbor Springs on Monday, May 5 to improve their league mark to 9-1.

A sweep of Tuesday's next-to-last league doubleheader at Traverse City St. Francis would have given the Blazers a two-game lead with only one doubleheader left in the season.

Results of that doubleheader were not available before deadline for this edition of The Leader and Kalkaskian.

Harbor Springs was overmatched against the more experienced Blazers, who won both games easily 14-1 and 10-0.

Marissa Taylor picked up the win in the opener.

She gave up four hits but struck out 12 batters.

Kalkaska had four players who drove in two runs each in Bernadette Gillespie, Kara Ponstein, Kristi Peters and Maria Harbour.

Taylor was the only Blazer with a multiple-hit game and she had one run batted in.

Jennifer Spann spun a three-hitter in the nightcap, with one walk and five strike outs in five innings.

Gillespie had two hits to lead the Blazers, whose only other hit in the game came from Ponstein.

Kalkaska collected 10 walks in the game, and the Rams also committed several errors.

The Blazers also swept a doubleheader with Traverse City West on Thursday, May 8.

Winning pitcher Taylor surrendered just three hits and struck out eight as Kalkaska won the first game 2-1.

Kalkaska scored both of its runs in the fifth inning. The Titans got a run in the top of the seventh before Spann closed the door.

Ponstein and Janelle Slater each had two hits for the Blazers. Taylor drove in a run with a single.

Spann twirled a one-hitter and struck out seven in the Blazers' 3-0 win in the second game.

West led off the seventh with a hit, and then Spann got a fly ball to center before striking out the last two batters.

Ponstein had a double and drove in a run, while Slater also had a run batted in with a single. The third run scored on a passed ball.

"I expect St. Francis to be good competition," coach Ponstein said. "If we can win those two (games) we'll have a two-game lead over everyone else with two games to go."