Sweeney & Wertz Jr. Homer in 4-3 Loss
June 28, 2015 - Frontier League (FL)
Evansville Otters News Release
Avon, OH- Although Preston Olson produced a quality start on the mound for the Otters, a 20 mph wind and the arms of the Lake Erie Crushers (15-21) kept the Evansville Otters (24-15) offense at bay, with the Otters dropping the series finale 4-3 at All Pro Freight Stadium.
Olson was opposed by Zach Morton for the Crushers and while the two pitchers blew through the first inning, the first pitcher to blink was Morton in the top of the second inning. Chris Sweeney came to the plate with one out and took a 1-2 fastball and rocketed through the wind and over the centerfield wall to put the Otters up 1-0. For Sweeney, it was his seventh home run of the season, tying him for the team lead with Shayne Houck and John Schultz.
They would hold the lead until the bottom of the fourth inning when Jose Barraza doubled and Anderson Hidalgo singled to put runners at the corners with one out. A popout by Joey Burney made it seem as if Olson would get out of the inning without any further damage, but he walked the next batter to load the bases for Juan Sanchez who took a 1-0 fastball and singled into left center to give the Crushers a 2-1 lead.
The score remained the same until the bottom of the seventh when the Crushers scratched a run across to make it 3-1 and they did the same in the eighth inning, scoring what turned out to be a pivotal run off of the Otters bullpen.
The Otters refused to go quietly in the top of the ninth as Sweeney collected his second extra base hit of the game with a one out double to left center. After a Nik Balog groundout brought the Otters down to their final out, Kurt Wertz Jr. fell behind 1-2 before launching a two run blast off of the scoreboard in left, his fourth of the season, to cut the deficit to just a single one. However, the comeback was not be as JD Dorgan struck out to end the game.
Preston Olson went 6.1 IP while ceding seven hits and three runs (all earned) and striking out seven to just three walks. His record now sits at 5-2 on the season despite the quality start today while Zach Morton stays perfect with the win and is now 2-0 on the season. Mike Devine did allow the two run home run, but secured his second save of the season.
The Otters are not back to action until Wednesday when the Otters will host the Windy City Thunderbolts for a doubleheader starting at 5:35 pm CDT.
Fans can purchase tickets by calling the team's front office at 812.435.8686 or online at EvansvilleOtters.com. For all of the latest information on the Otters, log on to EvansvilleOtters.com or follow the team's twitter account @EvilleOtters.
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