Otis had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.7 runs), and they went ahead and made it four on Monday. They won by a  run and slipped past the Merino Rams  7-6. This was payback for Otis, who suffered  a  15-0  defeat the last time these two teams met.
 The team  relied heavily on  Tayte Smith, who  scored three  runs and  stole two bases while  getting on base  in three of his four plate appearances. Another player making a difference was  Erick Thorn, who  went 1-for-3 with three  RBI and a  double.
 On Merino's side,  Josiah Mackintosh was huge no matter where he played even without the win. He  tossed five innings while giving up just one earned  (and four unearned) runs off   three  hits. Mackintosh has been consistent recently: he hasn't  tossed less than five  strikeouts in five consecutive pitching appearances. Mackintosh was also solid in the batter's box,  going 2-for-5 with two  runs and a  triple.
 In other batting news,  Tyler Miller and  Jaxson Samber stepped up to the plate in a big way.  Miller  scored a  run while going 3-for-5, while  Samber  went 2-for-4 with three  RBI, a  triple,  and a  run.
 Otis pushed their record up to 8-1 with that  win, which was their fifth straight  at home dating back to last season. As for Merino, their loss dropped their record down to 8-3.
 Otis has the luxury  of staying home for another  game and will welcome Haxtun at 2:00  p.m.  on Thursday. As for Merino, they are on the road again  on Thursday to play Peetz at 2:00  p.m.
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