The Otis High School baseball team is playing for its regional seeding, this week in the district tournament.
The 1A Bulldogs improved to 10-6 and advanced to Friday’s District 5 semifinals, after a 12-10 win this past Tuesday over Caliche, played in Haxtun. Unfortunately, their stay in district ended Friday, May 5, with a 10-3 loss to Haxtun, which blew past Briggsdale in its quarterfinal, Tuesday. Merino and Akron played in the other semifinal. The district championship game was at 2 p.m.
The Bulldogs entered district No. 11 in the Class 1A Rating Percentage Index with a strong chance to advance to regional.
They had to battle Tuesday to advance out of the district quarterfinals. They trailed 10-4 heading into the bottom of the fourth, when they scored four, the plated three more in the fifth and added another in the sixth to pull out the win. Caliche was held scoreless over the last three innings.
Carter Wells had two hits, two RBI and three runs, Erick Thorn two hits and three runs, JJ Ward two hits, including a double, four RBI and two runs, Peyton Wells one hit, one RBI and one run, Kaleb Jones a two-run double, Mitchell Stivers one hit, Tayte Smith one hit and two runs, and Maddox Hisam one run.
Ward came on in relief of Smith in the third inning, striking out six with no walks to eventually get the win. He allowed two hits in 4-2/3 innings.
Otis closed the regular season last Thursday against Caliche in Otis. The Bulldogs lost the first game 16-12, then took a forfeit loss in the nightcap, finishing 9-6 in the regular season.
Cheyenne Wells, No. 7 in the RPI, scored six runs in the top half of the first inning and never looked back. Otis trailed 15-3 when it rallied with nine runs in its last two at-bats.
The Bulldogs had three doubles among its 11 hits, but the Tigers had two doubles, a triple and a homer among their 16 hits.
Smith had three hits for Otis, including two doubles, with four RBI and three runs, Thorn two hits, including a double, and three runs, Stivers one hit and one run, Jones one RBI and one run, P. Wells one hit, Ward one hit and three RBI, Paxton Davis one hit and one run, Austin Hornung one hit, one RBI and two runs, and C. Wells one hit, one RBI and one run.
