TONTOGANY — Otsego freshman Cailyn Rider hit a hard grounder up the middle, scoring junior Sabrina Martinez-Buehrer for the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the eighth as the Knights walked off to defeat visiting Lake, 4-3, in a key Northern Buckeye Conference softball game Thursday.
Martinez-Bush was courtesy running for Alexis Etchie, who reached on a walk.
Otsego, 18-9 overall and 10-3 in the league, remains in the hunt for a title if the Knights can knock off visiting Elmwood, also 10-3 in the NBC, on Monday, and if Genoa can defeat Eastwood (24-3, 11-2). Lake falls to 17-8 and is out of the running in the conference.
Otsego pitcher Riley Rowe struck out five, walked three, allowed six hits and three runs through eight innings, throwing 108 pitches, including 61 strikes. She got six ground outs, 12 fly outs, and threw 14 first pitch strikes to 33 batters faced.
Rowe also led Otsego at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double. Etchie was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and Evelyn Rider, Kiana Dingledine, Riley Miller, Cailyn Rider, and Janelle Brooks had base hits for the Knights.
For the Flyers, Jessie Materni was 3-for-4 with a double and Sarah Patrick, Kali Bedford, and Sophia Gruetter had base hits. Diem Isbell had the Flyers’ only stolen base after reaching on a walk.
In the circle, Bedford struck out four, walked three, allowed nine hits, but only two of four runs scored on her through 7.2 innings were charged to her thanks to two Lake errors.
