Otters Fend Off Freedom In 5-3 Win
Published on July 18, 2011 under Frontier League (FL)
Evansville Otters News Release
(FLORENCE, Kentucky) - The Evansville Otters fought their way back from an early deficit, witnessed a possible play of the year from outfielder Greg Alexander, and defeated the Florence Freedom 5-3 in the series opener.
Designated hitter Stephen Shults handed Florence the early lead with a second-inning home run.
Evansville then rallied back in the fourth inning, scoring a run without the benefit of a hit. Alexander walked, moved around the bases, and scored on an RBI groundout from designated hitter Mike Durant.
Tied at one, the Otters then took their first lead with an RBI double from Joe Spiers in the 5th and a solo home run by outfielder Jamar Walton in the 6th.
Down 3-1, the Freedom cut the deficit in half on a solo home run from infielder Chris Curley in the bottom of that inning.
In the 7th, reliever Patrick Crider came into a situation with runners on the corners and struck out Drew Rundle to end a possible game-tying opportunity.
Evansville added two more runs in the eighth inning, a sacrifice fly from Louisville native Troy Frazier and an infield single from shortstop Greg Fontenot.
Trailing 5-2, Florence surged back for a run in the bottom of the eighth and could have tied it again. With two more runners on, outfielder Jonathan Smith hit a line drive deep to the left field corner. Greg Alexander then made a sprinting charge towards the line, catapulting up over a small waist-high fence, tumbled onto a grassy area and held on to the baseball for the catch.
Closer Eric Massingham pitched a scoreless ninth inning as Evansville would win the game 5-3.
The Otters are now 16-36 with the series-opening win as Florence drops to 24-27 this season.
Starter Dan Marcacci (3-1) earns the win for Evansville. Despite allowing 10 hits, he gave up just two runs in 6 2/3 innings. The loss goes to Freedom pitcher Jeff Frost (0-2) for giving up three runs in 5 1/3 innings. Massingham earned his 10th save with a scoreless ninth.
The teams will meet again on Tuesday night in the middle game of the series. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CDT from the Home of the Florence Freedom.
For more information on America's game and Evansville's team, please visit the Otters' official website at http://www.evansvilleotters.com . Fans can also call the team's front office at (812) 435-8686 about ticket information and any upcoming promotions.
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