Evansville Otters Outlast Gateway, 10-8, In 10 Innings
July 25, 2014 - Frontier League (FL)
Evansville Otters News Release
SAUGET, ILLINOIS - The Evansville Otters (35-22) rallied for two runs in the top of the 10th inning on a sacrifice fly by second baseman Phillip Wilson to earn a 10-8 extra-inning victory over the Gateway Grizzlies (37-23) at GCS Ballpark in Sauget, Illinois.
After the Grizzlies rallied from an 8-3 deficit in the final two innings to force extra-innings, shortstop Cory Urquhart began Evansville's 10th-inning rally with a one-out single. Outfielder John Schultz followed with a double to left field to put runners on second and third, before Wilson lifted a high fly ball to center field for the go-ahead sacrifice fly. On the play, the relay throw from Gateway outfielder Madison Beaird got away from the infield and allowed Schultz to score from second base to give the Otters a 10-8 lead.
Reliever Orlando Santos (4-3) then worked around a two-out double in the bottom of the 10th inning to earn the victory on the mound.
The Otters jumped to an early 4-0 lead, thanks to a solo home run by Schultz in the third inning, and a three-run home run by outfielder J.R. Higley in the fourth.
The Grizzlies would answer back with a three-run home run off the bat of second baseman Michael Johnson in the fifth inning to cut the lead to 4-3. An RBI double by Urquhart in the sixth-inning pushed the Evansville lead to 5-3, before back-to-back run-scoring doubles by designated hitter Chris Elder and Higley gave the Otters a 7-3 cushion.
Urquhart added his first career home run in the eighth, a solo shot, to move the Evansville lead to 8-3, before the Grizzlies would rally to force extra-innings.
Urquhart paced the Otters' offense by going a career-best 4-for-5 with a double, a home run, two runs scored and two RBI. Higley also added a home run and four RBI.
Evansville will try to sweep the series on Saturday in the series finale. Right-hander Trevor Walch (3-0, 2.08 ERA) is slated to start for the Otters, while fellow right-hander Tyler Thompson (3-1, 1.38 ERA) is expected to get the start for the Grizzlies.
First-pitch on Saturday is set for 7:05 pm CDT at GCS Ballpark in Sauget, and Saturday's series finale can be heard live on 91.5 F.M.-WUEV, with Tom Benson and Zane Clodfelter providing the play-by-play and color commentary. The game can also be heard on-line at EvansvilleOtters.com and WUEV.org.
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