In game 1, Brody Krein had a masterful performance on the mound as he went all 6 innings while giving up only one run and striking out 12. The Otters jumped on the board in the first with Nolan Felstul reaching on a fielder’s choice and coming around to score on a Luke Johnson single. The Rattlers tied it up in the third. The Otters came to bat in the 5th and scored two runs to take the lead. Krein and Johnson singled to lead off the inning and Kellen Funkhouser drove them in with a double down the right field line. The Otters padded their lead in the sixth as Levi Budke, Easton Hanson, and Benett Thielke all walked and scored. Budke scored on Fronning’s ground out and Hanson and Thielke scored on Felstul’s single up the middle.

In game 2, the Otters’ bats went silent but there were a number of outstanding defensive plays. Thielke made a great diving catch in center, Kadyn Zender turned a double play from second base on a grounder, and Felstul made a nice stop at shortstop and threw out the runner from his knees. The lone run in the second game was scored by Johnson as he was hit in by John Abraham’s single.

Hitting leaders for the two games were Fronning with a single, Felstul with two singles, Krein with a single, Johnson with three singles, Funkhouser with a single and a double, and Abrahams with a single.

“The boys came out ready to play in the first game and Krein pitched a marvelous game for the Otters,” said Coach Chad Felstul. “This West Fargo team is very talented and are now 29-3 on the year, with two of the losses coming against us. With the combination of an outstanding pitching performance, timely hitting, and solid defense, the Otters put together one of their most complete wins of the year,” added Felstul.

The Otters are now 18-5 on the season and have a break America’s birthday before they travel to Morris for a doubleheader on July 11. The Otters have two regular season doubleheaders left before the State Tournament from July 26-28 in Mankato.