By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
PLAINWELL—The cold never bothered me anyway.
That’s a line from the hit song “Let It Go,” which was featured in the Disney hit movie “Frozen.
And that could also be the motto for the Otsego softball team from its Wolverine Conference doubleheader against archrival Plainwell on Tuesday, April 1.
Because despite some frigid temperatures, the Bulldogs pounded out a total of 32 hits and scored a total of 32 runs in securing wins of 14-0 and 18-2 to complete the sweep.
“It was definitely a cold day, but our bats got hot anyway,” Otsego coach Jake Knash said.
Otsego wasted no time in setting the tone for the game.
In the top of the first inning, Cassie Holland led off with a walk and Madi Dendel reached base on a bunt single. RBI singles from Audrey Lingbeek and Maddie Back followed, with Back also eventually scoring to give the Bulldogs a quick 3-0 lead.
In the bottom of the first inning, Lingbeek took to the pitcher’s circle for Otsego and struck out the first two batters she faced as part of a 1-2-3 inning.
Lingbeek ended up pitching all seven innings, limiting the Trojans to a pair of singles. Heidi Ragainis had the first of those singles with one out in the third inning, with Emma Preuss collecting the second single with two outs in the seventh inning.
Plainwell’s only other base runners came on a pair of fifth-inning walks.
Lingbeek finished with 16 strikeouts. She struck out the side in the second, third and seventh innings.
Offensively, Otsego added three more runs in the second inning, two in the fifth and six in the seventh.
Lingbeek paced five Bulldogs with multiple hits. She went 4-for-5 with a double, two runs and three RBI.
Other standouts for Otsego included Sydneigh Mosher (3-for-4 with a double, a run and an RBI), Mariah Weaver (3-for-4 with two runs), Holland (2-for-3 with a double, two runs and three RBI) and Back (2-for-5 with a run and an RBI).
Sam McDaniel pitched the complete game for Plainwell. She walked five and struck out five.
The Bulldogs carried their momentum into the second game, plating five runs in the top of the first inning.
Holland started the frame with a leadoff singles, Sophie Pierce and Mosher each collected doubles.
Otsego tacked on four runs in the fourth inning before blowing things wide open with a nine-run uprising in the fifth.
That was more than enough offensive support for Holland, who worked all five innings of the mercy-rule-shortened contest for Otsego. Holland allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits with no walks and seven strikeouts.
“Both of our pitchers did very well and we played good defense behind them,” Knash said.
Holland also finished 4-for-4 at the plate with two doubles, three runs and four RBI.
Pierce (2-for-3 with a double, three runs and an RBI), Mosher (2-for-2 with a double, two runs and an RBI) and Sophia Staeven (2-for-4 with a double, two runs and two RBI) also had multiple hits in the victory.
“We had many girls were really hitting well,” Knash said. “Cassie Holland, Sydneigh Mosher, Mariah Weaver and Audrey Lingbeek had great days at the plate.”
Madison Seibert and Sophia Munch each singled for Plainwell, with Munch also driving in a run.
Sophia Barth pitched for Plainwell. She walked five and struck out one.
