TONTOGANY — Bowling Green’s bats were alive at the start, pounding out six first inning hits to take a quick 5-0 lead over Otsego in a non-league softball game between Wood County rivals in mid-30 degree temperatures on Wednesday.
However, Otsego pitcher Riley Rowe settled in, allowing just one run in the second inning and she completed the game by holding the Bobcats hitless the final five innings as the Knights ran away with a 14-6 victory.
“It was a little bit of a rough start and then I had to kind of rethink things, think of things that would get them thrown off — just trying to throw them off balance,” Rowe said.
Otsego coach Jason Colyer said no one on his team was too worried when the Bobcats got off to their quick start.
“Not the first inning that any of us expected, but kudos to her (Rowe) to kind of figure it out there,” said Colyer. “That is going to happen sometimes. She made adjustments with some mechanics that she felt like was good for her.
“She started to mix in some more pitches, but she really didn’t get rattled and we just continued to play our game and trusted our offense and our defense. To put up 14 after giving up five in the first was really good.”
Rowe, an NCAA Division II commit to Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida, finished the game striking out four, walking two, allowing eight hits and six runs, but only one run was earned while getting her third complete game victory of the young season.
For the Bobcats, it was their season opener while Otsego improves to 3-0. The Knights opened the season by defeating Gibsonburg, 8-0, in Tontogany on Monday, and then knocked off visiting Evergreen, 9-2, on Tuesday.
“I’m very proud of our team,” Rowe said. “We’ve put a lot of things together and I’m very happy with where we are at this season.”
In the win over Evergreen, the Knights had to overcome a powerful home run hit well over the left field fence by Penn State-bound Evergreen senior Macy Chamberlin, but Otsego compensated by putting up four runs in the second inning and three in the fourth.
“I’ve been really impressed with everybody, one through nine, putting the bat on the ball, being able to do little things and execute at a high level,” Colyer said.
“I’m really proud of our team and our lineup. We’re off to the start that we hoped for.”
At the plate, Rowe was 2-for-4 with a double, stolen base, and sacrifice fly, Ryleigh O’Brien was 2-for-5 with a triple, Kaylynn Euler had two doubles in four at-bats, and Sabrina Martinez-Buehrer was 2-for-2 with a double and she walked twice.
Aubrey Hartman doubled and Evelyn Rider, Janelle Brooks, Cailyn Rider, and Makenzie Shirkey had base hits for the Knights.
For the Bobcats, Zoe Ziems was 2-for-4, M.J. Walters was 2-for-2, Makenna Oates and Brynn Wilhelm doubled and Baylee Irvin and Hannah Yarger had base hits.
Ziems took the loss in the circle, but Jules Firdson pitched five strong innings of relief, striking out five, walking two, allowing five hits and six runs, but only one was earned.
In the win over Evergreen, which was shortened to five innings because of rain, Rowe struck out 11, walked five, allowed two hits and one earned run.
Rowe was also 2-for-3 at the plate with her second home run of the season, O’Brien and Euler doubled, and Hartman, Martinez-Buehrer, and Shirkey had base hits.
In the win over Gibsonburg, Rowe struck out nine, walked two, and allowed four hita in pitching seven scoreless innings. Meanwhile, her defense did not make an error.
Rowe homered and had two RBI, O’Brien was 3-for-4 with a triple, Evelyn Rider was 2-for-4 with two RBI, Hartman doubled, Janelle Brooks had a base hit and three RBI, and Cailyn Rider and Martinez-Buehrer had base hits.
