In an afternoon matinee make-up game the Otters fell to Willmar 4-0.   Logan Larson pitched a complete game gem, scattering 9 hits and 1 walk over 7 innings.  Larson struck out 7 Cardinals, allowing 4 runs, 2 of them earned.  The Otter offense managed 6 hits, but were not able to string together any momentum and were shut out for the 3rd game in a row.  Kellen Stenstrom was 2-3 at the plate and Logan Larson, Ethan Gronwold, Ben Swanson, and Leighton Buckmeier each added a hit. 

In the nightcap the Central Lakes Conference Leading Sartell Sabres baseball team displayed their talents at the plate, in the field, and on the mound as the Sabres scored 8 runs, tallying 10 hits, and holding the Otters to 2 runs on 6 hits.  Each team only committed one error, but 6 walks issued to the Sabres with timely hits created a deficit that was just too steep for the hometown club.  Ethan Gronwold went 4 2/3 innings allowing 10 hits, 8 runs, 6 walks and 3K, Jack Horgen was once again strong in relief, holding the Sabres hitless over the final 2 1/3 innings, not yielding a single hit.  Riston Albert led the Otters offensively, going 2-3 with Logan Larson, Kellen Stenstrom, Ben Swanson, and Colin Becker each going 1-3 at the plate.

“Overall, I was proud of our effort tonight,” said Fergus Falls Head Coach Shane Thielke.  “We were upbeat and competitive.   We need to find a way to be more aggressive early in the count with pitchers who we know are going to throw strikes.  We seem to dig a hole in the count and between the 2 games we tallied 18 strikeouts. That is just way too many unproductive outs.  If we can put more balls in play and advance runners, put pressure on the defense, we can generate more offensive opportunities.  We’ll keep working on those situations and evaluate our approach in our at bats so we can get back to playing the type of baseball we are capable of.  I loved how our pitchers attacked the strike zone tonight and Larson and Horgen were really good.  Gronny gave us a chance tonight but we just didn’t generate the offense we needed to keep up with Sartell.”

The Otters are back in action at Legion Field on Tuesday night at 5:00 vs. Perham, who currently sits at the top of the section standings on Senior Night at Legion Field.