Coming into the game vs the Otsego Lady Knights, Lady Rams head coach Tony Fairchild knew if his Lady Rams were to be successful, it would take a near perfect game to defeat the extremely talented Lady Knights.
Otsego headman Jason Colyer sent All-State pitcher Lexi North to the circle. All North has done entering the game vs Tinora was pitch 32 innings, strike out 77 hitters, walk three, and, ho-hum, allow one single all season. That’s correct, ONE hit all season.
As the winds were howling on a blustery evening at Tinora High School, both teams were riding winning streaks.
Otsego came in at 5-0, while the Lady Rams were riding a three game winning streak. The Lady Knights knocked Tinora out of the playoffs last season.
Otsego All State catcher Summer Berry sent the first pitch from Tinora starter Scylea Zolman to the wall in left for a leadoff double. Lexi North would help herself by getting an RBI on a fielders choice, giving the Lady Knights a 1-0 lead after one inning.
Otsego broke through for two unearned runs in the top of the third, giving the Lady Knights a 3-0 lead.
North was certainly in the zone, retiring the first nine Lady Rams via strikeout.
The Lady Rams finally broke through in the bottom of the fourth, with a hit, as leadoff hitter Anna Frazier laid down a perfect bunt down the third base side. Frazier alertly moved to second as the Lady Knights failed to cover second base on the bunt, their only error of the evening, and that was a mental error. A Frazier steal would put her at third, but the Lady Rams could not push across a run.
Ottsego broke the 3-0 game open in the fourth, after Tinora’s Zolman retired the first two Lady Knight hitters, the next five would reach, including a two run homerun by Lexi North. The two out rally ended with Otsego putting a five spot on the scoreboard, taking an 8-0 lead over Tinora.
The Lady Knights would end the scoring and for all purposes the game with another two run home run, this time by Kiana Dingledine. The Dingledine smash gave Otsego a 10-0 lead after five and a half innings.
The Lady Rams would only get the single base runner in Frazier, as Otsego’s North would retire 14 of 15 Lady Rams hitters. North would strike out 14 Tinora batters, increasing her yearly total to 91 strikeouts in just 37 innings of work. North would give up her second hit……..on the season.
With the loss, Tinora falls to 3-2. The Lady Rams will host Fairview on 4/12.
Otsego improves to 6-0 with the win.
Pics courtesy Dr AJ Fairchild.
