Ninth Inning Costs Otters in Series Middle Game
July 10, 2024 - Frontier League (FL)
Evansville Otters News Release
WASHINGTON, Pa. - A three-run ninth doomed the Evansville Otters in a 5-4 loss against the Washington Wild Things on Wednesday night.
The Otters (20-33) fall to a season-low 13 games under .500. They jumped on the Wild Things (35-17) early and were backed by great pitching for most of the game.
Right-hander Zach Smith started the game and went six innings allowing two runs in a quality start. He had great control, not allowing any walks and picking up six strikeouts against the best team in the Frontier League. Following out of the bullpen, Jon Beymer tossed two scoreless frames, striking out three and allowing just one hit.
Michael McAvene (0-4) took the loss after surrendering all runs in the ninth inning. Gyeongju Kim (3-2) took the win after pitching in the top of the frame.
During the opening innings, the Otters drew first blood. Delvin Zinn led off with a single, followed by Gary Mattis' double to right field. The next batter, David Mendham, brought home Zinn on a fielder's choice RBI, then Dakota Phillips hit a sacrifice fly to make it a 2-0 game.
Later in the fifth, Evansville added another run. Sparking a two-out rally, Zinn picked up his third hit of the game and two batters later Mendham singled him in.
The final run for Evansville scored in the sixth. Randy Bednar led off with a two-bagger, before Alec Olund lined a hit up the middle to bring him home and make it 4-0.
Washington answered with a pair of runs in the home sixth.
Moving to the final frame, the first three men picked up hits for Washington to make it a 4-3 game. With one out and runners on second and third, Zinn made a terrific sliding stop at short to save a base hit up the middle, then threw the runner out at home to momentarily preserve the lead.
After the fielder's choice, the next batter singled in the infield to tie the game. Two batters later, a deep fly ball single to right ended the contest.
Evansville out-hit Washington, 12-10. Mattis had four hits in the contest while Zinn added three knocks of his own. Mendham also had a multi-hit day.
The Otters will play in the series finale tomorrow against Washington, with a 6:05 p.m. CT first pitch. Coverage is available on the Otters Digital Network and FloBaseball.
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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