By Chad Koenen

Publisher

The Otter Tail Central Bulldogs picked up their third win of the season on Friday night with an 11-6 victory over the Pelican Rapids Vikings in non-conference action. The win came on the heels of a busy week for the Bulldogs that included a pair of losses to both Pillager and Parkers Prairie in conference action. 

OTC is currently 3-7 overall and 2-7 in the Park Region Conference. 

This week the Bulldogs will take on Browerville on Tuesday, Brandon-Evansville on Thursday and Sebeka on Friday. 

Tuesday

OTC took a brief 2-1 lead in the top of the third inning when Sophie Akerman and Aubrey Hexum scored on an error, but the Bulldogs couldn’t hold on as they eventually fell to the Pillager Huskies by a score of 7-4 on Tuesday night. Akerman led the way offensively for the Bulldogs as she went 2-4 with two runs scored. 

She also went the distance for the Bulldogs in the circle as she gave up 10 hits and seven runs, five of which were earned, over six innings of action. 

In the second game of the night the Bulldogs committed a pair of costly errors that led to six unearned runs on their way to a 15-3 loss to the Huskies. 

The game was tied 2-2 in the bottom of the first inning after Kailie Robinson and Kenady Cameron each plated a run across the plate, but Pillager scored three runs in the second, four in the third, one in the fourth and rounded out their scoring with a five run top of the sixth inning. 

Robinson and Lauren Hexum picked up the lone hits for the game for OTC, while Pillager pumped out 11 hits of their own.

Cameron took the loss in the circle as she went three innings and walked seven hitters. She gave up four hits and nine runs, four of which were earned, while striking out five hitters. Hannah Hexum and Akerman pitched the final three innings for the Bulldogs and gave up a combined seven hits, six runs of which five were earned and walked three hitters. 

AB R H     BI

Sophie Akerman 3 2 0 0

Kailie Robinson 3 1 1 2

Sia Olson 3 0 0 0

Kenady Cameron 3 0 0 1

Esme Larsen 2 0 0 0

Lauren Hexum 2 0 1 0

Maggie Hoekstra 2 0 0 0

Isebelle Godding 0 0 0 0

Hannah Hexum 2 0 0 0

Aubrey Hexum 2 0 0 0

HITTING- 2B-

PITCHING (ip-h-r-er-bb-k)- Kenady Cameron 3.0-4-9-4-7-5, Hannah Hexum 1.0-1-1-0-2-0, Sophie Akerman 2.0-6-5-5-1-1

AB R H     BI

Sophie Akerman 4 2 2 0

Kailie Robinson 4 0 0 1

Sia Olson 3 1 0 0

Kenady Cameron 3 0 0 0

Esme Larsen 3 0 1 0

Lauren Hexum 2 0 1 0

Maggie Hoekstra 3 0 0 0

Hannah Hexum 3 0 0 0

Aubrey Hexum 3 1 1 0

HITTING- 2B- Sophie Akerman

PITCHING (ip-h-r-er-bb-k)- Sophie Akerman 6.0-10-7-5-4-2

Thursday

The Bulldogs dropped its third and fourth game of the week on Thursday against a tough Parkers Prairie Panther team by scores of 11-1 and 8-3. 

In the opening game of the night, Parkers Prairie took an early 4-0 lead and didn’t look back as they went on to an 11-1 win.

The lone run for the Bulldogs came in the top of the second inning when Lauren Hexum and Maggie Hoekstra led off the inning with back-to-back walks. Hannah Hexum followed with an RBI single to make the score 4-0. In all the Bulldogs were outhit just 7-6, but five errors led to five unearned runs in the loss. 

Hannah Hexum and Sia Olson led the way offensively for OTC as they reached picked up a pair of hits. 

Isabelle Godding started the game for OTC and gave up two hits and three runs of which two were earned over 1/3 of an inning. Kenady Cameron came in relief and went 5 1/3 innings and gave up five hits, eight runs of which four were earned and walked seven hitters. 

In the second game of the night the Bulldogs trailed early, but made a game of it late thanks to a three-run bottom of the sixth inning that made the score 5-3 in favor of the Panthers. Unfortunately, Parkers Prairie added three runs in the top of the seventh inning to pull away for good by a score of 8-3. 

After Kailie Robinson and Lauren Hexum led off the inning with a walk and single, Sia Olson hit an RBI single to right field to make the score 5-1. Hexum scored on a Kenady Cameron fielder’s choice, before Esme Larsen hit an RBI double to right field to bring Olson across the plate and make the score 5-3. Unfortunately, she was stranded at second base and OTC ultimately fell 8-3. 

Hexum led the way offensively with a pair of hits, while Sophie Akerman took the loss in the circle as she went seven innings and gave up eight hits, eight runs of which six were earned, two walks and truck out a pair of batters. 

AB R H     BI

Sophie Akerman 1 0 0 0

Isabelle Godding 3 0 0 0

Kailie Robinson 3 0 0 0

Sia Olson 3 0 2 0

Kenady Cameron 3 0 1 0

Esme Larsen 2 0 1 0

Lauren Hexum 1 1 0 0

Maggie Hoekstra 2 0 0 0

Hannah Hexum 3 0 2 1

Aubrey Hexum 2 0 0 0

HITTING- 2B- Hannah Hexum 2, Sia Olson 2, Kenady Cameron, Esme Larsen 2

PITCHING (ip-h-r-er-bb-k)- Isebelle Godding 0.1-2-3-2-1-0, Kenady Cameron 5.1-5-8-4-7-2

AB R H     BI

Hallie Weller 3 0 0 0

Kailie Robinson 2 1 1 0

Lauren Hexum 4 1 2 0

Sia Olson 4 1 1 1

Kenady Cameron 3 0 0 1

Esme Larsen 2 0 1 1

Hannah Hexum 3 0 0 0

Maggie Hoekstra 3 0 0 0

Aubrey Hexum 2 0 0 0

HITTING- 2B- Sia Olson, Esme Larsen

PITCHING (ip-h-r-er-bb-k)- Sophie Akerman 7.0-8-8-6-2-2

Friday

OTC scored the final six runs of the game and overcame a 6-5 deficit in the bottom of the fourth inning to defeat the Pelican Rapids Vikings on Friday night. The Bulldogs took an early 4-3 lead thanks to a big four run bottom of the first inning, but soon found themselves trailing 6-5 in the fourth inning as Pelican Rapids strung together another three run inning in the top of the fourth inning.

Sophie Akerman led off the bottom of the fourth inning with a single, before advancing all the way to third base on a pair of passed balls. She scored when Kailie Robinson hit into a fielder’s choice to allow her to score from third base and tie the game at 6-6. 

Just one inning later, the Bulldogs took the lead for good when a pair of runs scored on a throwing errors from the third baseman to give OTC an 8-6 lead. They tacked on another run on another error later in the inning to take a 9-6 lead. OTC scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth inning for some insurance and held on to take the game by a score of 11-6. 

The Bulldogs finished with 11 hits in the game and took advantage of five Viking errors that led to five unearned runs. 

Robinson led the way offensively with three hits, while Esme Larson and Akerman each finished with two hits. 

Akerman picked up the win in the circle as she went all seven innings and gave up 11 hits, six runs of which four were earned, walked six batters and struck out nine. 

AB R H     BI

Sophie Akerman 3 4 2 0

Kailie Robinson 5 1 3 2

Sia Olson 4 2 1 0

Kenady Cameron 3 1 1 0

Esme Larsen 4 1 2 4

Lauren Hexum 3 0 1 1

Maggie Hoekstra 3 0 0 0

Isebelle Godding 1 0 0 0

Hannah Hexum 3 1 1 0

Aubrey Hexum 3 1 0 0

HITTING- 2B- 

PITCHING (ip-h-r-er-bb-k)- Sophie Akerman 7.0-11-6-4-6-9