OTC to wrap up regular season at Minnewaska

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

With just one week remaining in the regular season, the Otter Tail Central Bulldog softball team wrapped up conference play with a 1-3 record last week. 

OTC will wrap up their regular season on Tuesday in Rothsay and will travel to Minnewaska Area on Thursday to take on the Lakers in non-conference action. The sub section tournament kicks off next week. 

Monday

Otter Tail Central overcame a slow start to pull within one run late to a tough Parkers Prairie Panthers team on Monday night. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs fell by a score of 10-9. Starting pitcher Sophie Akerman gave up just five earned runs and 13 hits as the Bulldogs committed five errors in the field. 

“I am proud that the girls never gave up.  Sophie Akerman threw another solid game giving up five earned runs, striking out five and walking two,” said head coach Heather Akerman. “Offensively, we are starting to hit the ball much better and be more disciplined at the plate.”  

Ezrah Baker had a solid night at the plate for OTC as she hit her fifth career home run, while also collecting a double in the game. Sophie Akerman went 3-4 from the plate with three runs scored. 

Parkers Prairie led 4-1 after the first inning and both teams collected three runs in the second inning. Parkers Prairie scored a pair of runs in the fourth inning, before OTC scored three runs in the bottom half of the inning and added another run in the fifth inning to make the score 9-8 in favor of the Panthers heading into the top of the sixth inning. Both teams scored a single run in the sixth inning to make the score 10-9 in favor of Parkers Prairie. 

AB R H     BI

B. Christianson 4 1 0 1

S. Akerman 4 3 3 1

L. Lukken 4 0 1 2

E. Baker 3 1 2 1

K. Cameron 3 0 0 0

E. Dirkman 3 0 1 0

E. Larsen 4 2 1 0

L. Conner 2 1 0 0

K. Trosdahl 1 0 0 0

D. Grabe 3 1 0 0

HITTING- 2B- E. Baker, L. Lukken, S. Akerman

PITCHING (ip-h-r-er-bb-k)- S. Akerman 7.0-13-10-5-2-5

Tuesday

OTC won the opening game of a doubleheader against Pillager in dramatic fashion on Tuesday night.

With the game tied 10-10 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, Ezrah Baker hit her second double of the game with two outs to bring the winning run across the plate and give OTC the 11-10 win. 

The Bulldogs trailed early due to a number of mistakes in the field that led to five errors and seven unearned runs. Pillager led 7-2 heading into the bottom of the second inning, before OTC was able to add single runs in the second, third and fourth innings. They scored three runs in the fifth inning, tow in the sixth inning and the walk-off run in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Brooklyn Christianson, Liz Lukken, Baker and Kenady Cameron each finished with two hits in the win. 

Sophie Akerman picked up the win in the circle as she went all seven innings and gave up 13 hits, three earned runs and struck out seven hitters. 

After a dramatic win earlier in the day, the Bulldogs dropped the second game of a doubleheader to Pillager by a score of 14-7. The Bulldogs were outhit 14-7, but committed just two errors in the game. 

The big difference in the game came in the third inning when Pillager overcame an early 2-1 lead for OTC by posting seven runs to take an 8-2 lead. They scored three more runs in the fourth inning and sixth inning to come away with the win. 

Kaylee Trosdahl took the loss in the circle as she went 3 innings and gave up eight hits, seven earned runs and struck out two hitters. 

AB R H     BI

B. Christianson 1 1 0 1

K. Robinson 1 0 0 0

S. Akerman 3 0 0 0

L. Lukken 3 0 0 0

E. Baker 2 1 1 0

K. Cameron 3 1 0 0

E. Dirkman 3 1 0 0

E. Larsen 3 2 1 1

K. Trosdahl 1 0 0 0

B. Bunkowski 3 1 1 1

D. Grabe 0 0 0 0

M. Durbin 2 0 1 2

HITTING- 2B- E. Baker

PITCHING (ip-h-r-er-bb-k)- K. Trosdahl 3.0-8-8-7-3-2, B. Bunkowski 0.0-1-3-3-4, K. Cameron 3.0-2-3-2-4-4

AB R H     BI

B. Christianson 3 2 2 1

S. Akerman 4 0 0 0

L. Lukken 5 1 2 0

E. Baker 3 2 2 2

K. Cameron 3 2 2 1

E. Dirkman 3 1 0 1

E. Larsen 3 0 1 2

L. Conner 2 2 1 1

D. Grabe 3 0 0 1

K. Trosdahl 0 1 0 0

HITTING- 2B- B. Christianson, E. Baker, L. Lukken

PITCHING (ip-h-r-er-bb-k)- S. Akerman 7.0-13-10-3-1-7

Thursday

The Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale bats came alive on Thursday night as the Raisers secured a 16-8 win over the Bulldogs. The Raiders outhit the Bulldogs by a 13-2 margin with OTC taking advantage of nine walks to come away with one run in the third, fourth and seventh innings, as well as a big five run bottom of the fifth.

The Raiders scored two runs in the first, second, fourth and seventh innings, while also scoring four runs in the third and sixth innings.

Sophie Akerman took the loss on the mound as she pitched the opening four innings of the game and gave up eight hits and nine earned runs. Kaylee Trosdahl pitched the final three innings of the game and game up six earned runs and five hits. As a team the Bulldogs walked 11 hitters in the game. 

AB R H     BI

B. Christianson 1 1 1 2

S. Akerman 4 0 0 0

L. Lukken 2 1 0 0

E. Baker 2 0 1 0

K. Cameron 3 1 0 0

E. Dirkman 3 1 0 1

E. Larsen 3 1 0 1

L. Conner 0 0 0 0

K. Trosdahl 2 2 0 1

D. Grabe 1 0 0 0

M. Durbin 1 1 0 0

HITTING- 2B- E. Baker

PITCHING (ip-h-r-er-bb-k)- S. Akerman 4.0-8-10-9-5-2, K. Trosdahl 3.0-5-6-6-6-1