Ben Swanson a started on the mound in game one, going 2 2/3 innings before handing the ball to Jack Horgen, who was able to get the final 4 1/3 innings willing the Otters to their first victory of the season.  Carston Fronning led the offensive attack going 2-4 with 2 RBI.  Swanson, Leighton Buckmeier, Riston Albert, Will Gronwold, and Logan Larson all added a hit apiece. 

“We had great at bats, and two big innings which propelled us in game one,” reported Head Coach Shane Thielke.  “Swanny and Horgen really competed on the mound for us tonight gave us chance to win and our defense in the first game was solid.   Offensively, we showed great improvement with guys working quality at bats and going deeper into the count.  We drew 8 walks to go along with our 8 hits and coupled with aggressive base running it really was a fun game to be a part of.” 

Game 2 was a different story for the Otters.  “We put a few guys in positions they haven’t played for a while and we brought a few more JV guys up to help fill some gaps,” noted Thielke.  “Brock Scheuerman and Levi King joined us in game 2 and Alex Ellison and Logan Larson both made the transition from JV to Varsity for both games.  Logan Larson had a solid night at the plate and he shined in the field at second base.  We ran out of steam and dropped game 2.” 

Thielke continued, “Our leadership from the seniors tonight was tremendous and we proved that we can compete with some of the best teams in our conference.  It was a great night for Otter Baseball and it came after a pretty tough stretch of circumstances for these kids.  I could not be more proud of our guys.”

Due to the timing of events on Tuesday, Fergus Falls was unable to send their freshman squad to Brainerd and it proved to be a positive outcome.  The Otter JV baseball team won Game #1, 4-2 over the Brainerd JV and in game #2 recorded a walk-off victory with the Otters prevailing over the Brainerd JV 3-2.

 JV coach David Dirks commented that, “This is a testament to the direction we are going and we see the bright future of our program.”