Neither Holt nor Grand Ledge won the Division 1 district title at Battle Creek Central today. The matchup that was supposed to be never even took place -- thanks to Battle Creek Lakeview.
Lakeview is a solid team, no question, with a 25-9 record. But with Holt ranked No. 5, and Grand Ledge ranked most of the year ... even though the baseball rankings generally aren't the most accurate, to see both of the area's best teams fall has to be a massive upset.
Does it change how you view area baseball this season? Grand Ledge definitely carried the high expectations at the start of the year, but injuries zapped some of those as it wore on. Holt became the major favorite after sweeping Grand Ledge to win the CAAC Blue title -- but in the end, that run seems to have ended prematurely as well.
What this should mean is an even better Diamond Classic battle in Wednesday's final at Oldsmobile Park. Those two still must get by Fowlerville and DeWitt, respectively, in Monday's semifinals. But with their top pitchers available and the seniors playing with nothing else left to win, the atmosphere should be even more tense than if one or both were headed to regionals.
High school sports editor 
