Otsego senior Lexi North delivers a pitch Thursday evening at Otsego.
J.D. Pooley | Sentinel-Tribune
TONTOGANY — The biggest disappointment for Otsego senior Lexi North during the Knights 11-1 win over Lake Thursday was that the Flyers got a base hit.
North opened the season tossing four straight no-hit games, but Lake batter Alivia King hit a soft liner that found a gap in shallow center field in the top of the first inning.
It was the first hit off of North this season, and it came in her fifth game in the circle. North wasn’t pleased about it, but she did not panic either. Instead, she gave King a tip of her hat.
“It really hurt. I wanted that pitch back,” North said. “Good for her getting that hit. It stung and I wanted to get her the next time.”
Otsego coach Jason Colyer said a base hit is not going to rattle North, even if the Knights are playing in a big tournament game.
“She is never satisfied with the way things go. She always wants to improve,” Colyer said. “She doesn’t get rattled.
“Through all of her experience I feel she has seen absolutely everything so that there is nothing on the softball field that surprises her.”
After King’s hit, North went about her business, striking out 12, walking one, and giving up one run, which was unearned. She threw 86 pitches, 60 for strikes.
“Lake has really good bats, so it was a good challenge today,” North said.
North and the Knights improved to 5-0 on the season, including 3-0 in the Northern Buckeye Conference, while Lake falls to 1-3 overall.
North, who has signed to play collegiately at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania, also went 2-for-3 with a double and RBI in pacing her team’s 15-hit attack.
Evelyn Rider went 3-for-4 with a double and RBI, Summer Berry went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and Riley Miller was 2-for-4 with three RBIs.
Also getting base hits for the Knights were Riley Rowe, Makayla Dingledine, Ashtyn Gregory, Moira Yaney and Kiana Dingledine. Rowe had an RBI sacrifice fly and Yaney had a stolen base.
The Knights scored three runs in the first, one in the second, two in the fourth, two in the fifth, and ended the game via mercy rule with a three-run sixth inning.
Miller had a walk-off one-out base hit to left field that plated Makayla Dingledine for the 11th run. Dingledine had reached on a long base hit that sailed to the left field fence.
Lake got its only run in the fourth when Jessie Materni reached on an error, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Abbie Rymers, and scored on a two-base throwing error.
Materni reached base on all three of her plate appearances. She reached on a fielder’s choice in the first and in the sixth, she took the count to full before reaching on the only walk North allowed.
Lake pitcher Kali Bedford struck out three, walked one, and gave up 10 earned runs while throwing 96 pitches over 5.1 innings.
Lake coach Dave Rymers is allowing his underclassmen to get valuable playing time, starting six freshmen. Colyer noted that Rymers’ team will only get better as the season and their careers progress.
“I’m super impressed with their young kids,” Colyer said. “I think they will have something good as they continue to roll along.”
