The Otis Bulldogs will face off against the Simla Cubs at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Otis came out on top against Wiley on Thursday thanks in part to the team's impressive 15-run second inning. The Bulldogs were the clear victors by an 18-1 margin over the Panthers. The victory was familiar territory for the Bulldogs, who have now won three matches in a row.
Austin Hornung made a splash no matter where he played. He tossed two innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (four). He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs.
Mitchell Stivers
| 04/17/25 @ Wiley | 3 |
| 04/17/25 @ Wiley | 2 |
| 04/14/25 @ McClave | 3 |
| 04/12/25 @ Merino | 2 |
| 04/08/25 vs Weldon Valley | 1 |
| + 9 more games |
In other batting news, Mitchell Stivers was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three stolen bases, three runs, and four RBI. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last 14 games he's played. Tayte Smith was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two triples, two runs, and one RBI.
Otis kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Simla entered their tilt with Evangel Christian Academy on Tuesday with three consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with four. They blew past the Eagles 10-2.
Like Otis, Simla also got a great game from a two-way player: Wyatt Stanko. Throwing, Stanko tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, T.J. Eurich struck out 12 batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits. At the plate, Stanko got on base in all five of his plate appearances with seven stolen bases and two runs, while Eurich went 2-for-4 with five stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI. Stanko has become a key player for Simla: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 3-4 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Teague Jones, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Logan Rayfield, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs.
Otis pushed their record up to 13-3 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Simla, their win bumped their record up to 9-4.
Thursday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Otis has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .512. However, it's not like Simla struggles in that department as they've averaged .442. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Otis' way against Simla in their previous meeting back in April of 2022, as Otis made off with a 20-14 victory. Do the Bulldogs have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Cubs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
