OTC to host Barnesville in sub section opener

After back-to-back rainouts, the Otter Tail Central Bulldogs came out swinging Thursday afternoon, rallying from an early deficit to knock off Pillager 9–5 in a key conference matchup. The story of the game was junior Kale Misegades, who turned in a heroic all-around performance.

Misegades was unstoppable at the plate, going 5-for-5 with 4 RBIs, including a bases-clearing double in the fifth inning that put the Bulldogs ahead for good. On the mound, he delivered five shutout innings in relief, striking out seven, walking none, and allowing just two hits to earn the win.

“Coach told us to stay patient and keep competing,” Misegades said postgame. “I just tried to simplify my approach and do my job. The energy in the dugout was awesome—we weren’t going to let this one slip.”

Trailing 5–2 after two innings, OTC chipped away with a run in the third, tied the game 5–5 in the fourth behind RBI hits from Ryan Despard and Garrett Kuhn-Rice, and then blew it open in the fifth with a four-run inning, all driven in by Misegades’ clutch double.

While Pillager’s bats jumped on starter Eric Fick early (five runs, only one earned), the Bulldog defense tightened up, and the offense remained patient, drawing 8 walks—with Quenten Beske and Owen Harig leading with two free passes each.

Friday

The Bulldogs closed out their regular season with another gritty, come-from-behind win, taking down Brandon/Evansville 6–5 on Friday evening in Evansville. Fueled by a three-run sixth inning and clutch hitting from multiple contributors, OTC secured momentum heading into postseason play.

Senior Garrett Kuhn-Rice opened the scoring in the top of the first with a sacrifice fly, followed by an RBI double to center field by junior Ryan Despard, giving the Bulldogs an early 2–0 lead.

Brandon/Evansville rallied to tie it 2–2 in the third inning and then pulled ahead 4–2 in the fourth inning on a two-run error. But the Bulldogs didn’t flinch.

In the sixth, Owen Harig delivered a game-tying RBI single, followed by a go-ahead base knock from Kale Misegades. OTC added one more before the inning was done, grabbing a 6–4 lead they would not relinquish.

The Bulldogs finished the regular season with a record of 11-7 and received the third seed in the sub section tournament. They will host sixth seeded Barnesville in the opening round of the sub section tournament on Tuesday in Henning. The winner will take on either second seeded Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton or seventh seeded Pelican Rapids on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. in Perham. The winner will advance to the sub section championship game that will also be held on Thursday in Perham while the loser will drop to the elimination bracket.