Otis High School’s baseball team is facing some stern tests at this part of the season.
The Bulldogs, 9-2, suffered their first losses of the season Saturday to Haxtun, which is No. 1 in the CHSAA 1A Selection and Seeding Index. Otis entered this week No. 6. The Bulldogs play No. 5 Merino on Saturday after hosting Weldon Valley this past Tuesday. They are at No. 8 McClave on Monday.
They had little trouble in beating Weldon Valley, improving to 10-2.
Otis gave it a good battle against No. 1 Haxtun, losing the first game 5-2. The Bulldogs’ only runs came in the bottom of the fifth.
Paxton Davis had two hits with one RBI and one run scored, Gracen Bechtle, Gavin Price and JJ Ward each had one hit, and Tayte Smith one run. Ward went five innings on the hill, striking out six and walking four, allowing five runs, four earned, on seven hits. Austin Hornung went two innings, striking out one, walking one and allowing one hit.
Otis took a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the second game, but eventually lost 13-2. The Bulldogs added one more run in the fifth.
Mitchell Stivers hit a double and scored a run, Davis one hit, Price one hit, and Hornung one run.
Price went four innings on the hill, and Davis and Smith one each. They combined to strike out six, but walked 12, and allowed seven hits. Only five of Haxtun’s runs were earned.