Softball Game Preview: Otsego Bulldogs vs. Paw Paw Red Wolves

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Previous 3 Games

05/16/23 - Home	4-3 W
05/04/21 - Home	9-4 W
04/17/18 - Home	8-6 W

Otsego is a perfect 3-0 against Paw Paw since April of 2018 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Tuesday. The Bulldogs will host the Red Wolves at 4:00 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Otsego comes in on eight and Paw Paw on four.

While Otsego didn't have the best season last year (they finished 5-7), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They came out on top against Gull Lake by a score of 11-7 on Monday.

Otsego let Audrey Lingbeek and Emma Zimmerman run wild. Lingbeek got on base in all five of her plate appearances with two runs, while Zimmerman went 1-for-3 with three RBI, one run, and one double. Those RBI were Zimmerman's first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Addy Lucas, who went 1-for-5 with two runs and two RBI.

They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Otsego kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in eight consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Paw Paw). Their pitchers stepped up to hand Sturgis a 17-0 shutout on Friday. Considering the Red Wolves have won seven games by more than 11 runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.

Otsego pushed their record up to 13-4 with the win, which was their sixth straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.5 runs over those games. As for Paw Paw, their win bumped their record up to 8-1.

Otsego came out on top in a nail-biter against Paw Paw in their previous meeting back in May of 2023, sneaking past 4-3. Will the Bulldogs repeat their success, or do the Red Wolves have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.