Otis hasn't had much luck against Haxtun recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Bulldogs will face off against the Fightin' Bulldogs at 9:00 a.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Otis is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. Everything went their way against Caliche as they made off with a 10-3 win. The Bulldogs haven't had any issues with the Buffaloes recently, as the game was their ninth consecutive victory against them.
JJ Ward
| 04/30/25 vs Caliche | 7 |
| 04/26/25 vs Flatirons Academy | 6 |
| 04/24/25 vs Simla | 2 |
| 04/14/25 @ McClave | 4 |
| 04/12/25 @ Merino | 2 |
| + 2 more games |
JJ Ward and Gavin Price made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Ward struck out seven batters over four innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits (and only one walk). Meanwhile, Price pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. That's the most strikeouts Ward has posted since back in April. At the plate, Ward got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and one RBI, while Price went 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, Otis got a massive performance out of Tayte Smith, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with four stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Smith has become a key player for the Bulldogs: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 4-5 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Paxton Davis, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double.
Otis always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .528. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Caliche only posted an OBP of .333.
Meanwhile, Haxtun never let their opponents score on Wednesday. They blew past Briggsdale 20-0. The win was familiar territory for the Fightin' Bulldogs, who have now won three contests in a row.
Kanin Koberstein was incredible, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one home run, three stolen bases, and four runs. Madden Larsen was another key player, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double.
Haxtun's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-4. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Otis, their victory bumped their record up to 15-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Otis has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Haxtun struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Otis suffered a grim 13-2 defeat to Haxtun in their previous meeting back in April. Can the Bulldogs avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
