Josh Allen & Otters Seek Series Victory Against Crushers
July 11, 2015 - Frontier League (FL)
Evansville Otters News Release
Josh Allen of the Evansville Otters
(Evansville Otters)
Evansville, IN- With All-Star Trevor Walch starting on the mound of for the Evansville Otters (31-18), the Otters probably did not need to score all that many runs, but Josh Allen opened up the scoring in the third inning and the Otters poured it on from there, eventually taking care of the Lake Erie Crushers (19-27) by a final score of 8-2.
In the bottom of the third inning with a man down and two men on, Josh Allen stepped to the plate and crushed the first pitch of his at-bat to right center field, plating both runs and giving the Otters a 2-0 lead. Allen moved to third on the two-RBI double due to an errant throw by the center fielder, leaving him at third base with Dane Phillips at the plate.
Phillips would take the first pitch of his at-bat for a ball and then the following pitch made the count even at one ball and one strike... setting the state for the most exciting play in baseball. As the right-handed pitcher for the Crushers, Hunter Adkins, went into his windup, Allen broke from third base, the pitch to home was a fastball off of the outside corner and it beat Allen to the plate, but Allen lunged himself forward and snaked his right arm onto the top corner of the plate before the catcher Ty Nelson could apply the tag, safely stealing home and putting the Otters up 3-0.
For Allen it was his tenth stolen base of the year (he is the first Otter into double digits in the category) and for the Otters it was the first stolen base of home since Nick Schwaner did it back on June 17th, 2012 in a game at Bosse Field against the River City Rascals.
After the fireworks from Allen, Nik Balog decided to get in on the act, blasting his second home run in the seven games, a mammoth shot to right, which put the Otters up 5-0. He would singlehandedly make it a 7-0 game in the next inning, scorching a ball off the top of the wall in right for a two-run double, giving him four RBI on the day, his most on the season. Kurt Wertz Jr. tacked on the final tally with an RBI double of his own in the seventh inning before the bullpen allowed two runs in the final two innings for the 8-2 victory as Trevor Walch pitched the first seven in shutout fashion.
Tonight's starter for the Evansville Otters is Tyler Vail who is 4-2 on the season with a 4.07 ERA. Vail is looking for his third straight quality start and third straight win, having last pitched on Independence Day last Saturday in an 8-5 victory for the Otters. Vail went six innings in the ballgame, allowing just two hits and three runs, with only one of those runs earned in six innings of work. His opponent out on the mound will be Rob Blanc for the Lake Erie Crushers who is still searching for his first win of the season, currently sitting with an 0-3 record and a 2.77 ERA.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 pm CDT and with a victory the Otters can seal their second straight series victory in addition to securing all three series against the Crushers this season (the Otters are 5-2 vs. the Crushers in 2015). The pregame show with Mike Radomski, Bill McKeon and Jake Donnelly will start at 6:15 pm on 91.5 WUEV. The Otters will then finish up the first half of the season with a 5:05 game against the Crushers on Sunday.
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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 Josh Allen of the Evansville Otters |
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