OTC opens playoffs against third seeded Menahga

Grace Thorpe fields a bunt during last week’s regular season finale against the Brandon-Evansville Chargers. The Bulldogs split the doubleheader and ended the regular season with a record of 4-14.

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

The Otter Tail Central Bulldogs opened the Section 8AA tournament on Monday when they traveled to the Menahga Braves. The Bulldogs ended their regular season with a record of 4-14 overall and finished with a QRF of 102. They lost a pair of games to the Braves less-than two weeks ago by scores of 7-1 and 11-0.  The Braves enter the game with a record of 16-4 overall and a QRF of 19. 

Kailie Robinson attempts to throw out a base runner during last week’s game against the Chargers.

The winner of Monday’s game will take on either sixth seed East Grand Forks or 11th seed Warroad at the high seed on Tuesday night. The section tournament continues on Thursday at the high seed.

The Bulldogs ended the season on a bit of a high note as they split a doubleheader with Brandon-Evansville on the road.

After falling to Brandon-Evansville by a score of 13-9 to open the night, the Bulldogs came away with an 11-3 win.

In the opening game of the night the Chargers took a 12-3 lead after the bottom of the fourth inning, before the Bulldogs struck for two runs in the fifth inning and four more runs in the seventh inning to make the score 13-9. 

Breanna Bunkowski laces a grounder down the line during last week’s game against the Brandon-Evansville Chargers.

Lauren Hexum led the way offensively for the Bulldogs as she went 3-4 with a pair of runs scored, while Esme Larson picked up a pair of hits and three RBIs in the loss. 

Kenady Cameron took the loss in the circle as she went three innings and gave up four hits, 10 runs of which eight were earned, 10 walks and a pair of strike outs. 

In the second game of the night, OTC scored in every inning except for one as they defeated the Chargers by a score of 11-3. 

OTC jumped out to a 3-0 lead after scoring a pair of runs on two separate errors and another run on a passed ball. The Bulldogs took a 5-0 lead in the second inning on a Sia Olson two-run double, before adding three more runs in the fourth, two in the fifth and one more in the six inning to end the game by a score of 11-3. 

Olson led the way offensively with two hits and three RBIs, while Breanna Bunkowski finished with two hits, two RBIs and three runs scored. 

Grace Thorpe picked up the win in the circle as she went seven innings, giving up eight hits, three runs of which one was earned and struck out nine hitters. 

AB R H     BI

Sophie Akerman 2 3 2 1

Breanna Bunk. 5 3 2 2

Sia Olson 2 1 2 3

Maggie Hoekstra 1 0 0 0

Esme Larsen 2 1 1 0

Lauren Hexum 1 0 0 1

Kenady Cameron 3 0 1 1

Hannah Hexum 3 1 0 1

Zoie Hochstein 3 0 0 0

Aubrey Hexum 1 0 1 0

Thorpe 3 0 0 0

Kailie Robinson 3 2 0 0

HITTING- 2B- Sia Olson

PITCHING (ip-h-r-er-bb-k)- Thorpe 7.0-8-3-1-3-9

AB R H     BI

Sophie Akerman 2 1 1 0

Lauren Hexum 4 2 3 1

Sia Olson 4 1 1 0

Esme Larsen 3 1 2 3

Kenday Cameron 4 0 0 2

Breanna Bunk.i 3 1 0 0

Hannah Hexum 1 1 1 1

Zoie Hochstein 2 1 0 0

Aubrey Hexum 2 1 1 0

Thorpe 2 0 0 0

Kailie Robinson 3 0 1 0

Abbi Godding 1 0 0 0

PITCHING (ip-h-r-er-bb-k)- Kendary Cameron 3.0-4-10-8-10-2, Thorpe 3.0-4-3-1-1-2