Jones Plays Hero as Otters Open Season, 2-0
Published on May 8, 2026 under Frontier League (FL)
Evansville Otters News Release
EVANSVILLE, Ind - Amani Jones drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th as the Evansville Otters (2-0) took the game and series from the Florence Y'alls (0-2), 7-6 in 10 innings.
The Otters had Landon Willeman as the starter for the day while Isaac Milburn got the start for Florence.
It was all Evansville to start as T.J. Salvaggio hit a rope down the left field line with the bases loaded, scoring three runs, while a throwing error allowed him to score a fourth. The Otters went into the third with a 4-0 lead.
They would extend the lead to five in the fourth inning on a Jordan Viars RBI double that scored Mark Black.
The Florence offense woke up in the fifth inning, taking advantage of an error and a hit by pitch as Tyler Shaneyfelt drove in two with a double, before Hank Zeisler brought him in with a single.
The Y'alls didn't stop there, as three more runs would come in the sixth, giving Florence a 6-5 lead.
The Otters tied things back up in the bottom half of the sixth, as Dennis Pierce's infield single scored Jon Ponder.
After no scoring for the next three innings, the game needed extra innings to decide a winner.
Alex Valdez stranded the Commissioner's runner in the top half, inducing a flyout to center that wasn't far enough to send Sergio Gutierrez home from third. He then struck out Tyler Shaneyfelt for a scoreless 10th.
Salvaggio dropped down a perfect bunt to advance pinch-Commissioner's runner Shane Fillman to third, then Amani Jones brought him home on a bloop single to give the Otters the victory.
The Otters will play game three of the series against the Y'alls tomorrow at 6:35 p.m. at Bosse Field, looking to sweep their opening series of the season.
All games can be heard on 96.9 WYIR and the Otters Digital Network and can be viewed live on the Frontier League Network on HTN.
The Evansville Otters are the 2006 and 2016 Frontier League champions.
The Otters play all home games at historic Bosse Field, located at 23 Don Mattingly Way in Evansville, Ind. Stay up to date with the Evansville Otters by visiting evansvilleotters.com, or follow the Otters on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
For more information, visit evansvilleotters.com or call (812) 435-8686.
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