Otters' Offense Limited on Opening Night in 5-0 Loss to Normal
May 16, 2014 - Frontier League (FL)
Evansville Otters News Release
(NORMAL, ILLINOIS) - The Evansville Otters lost the 2014 Frontier League regular season opener 5-0 to the Normal CornBelters on Friday night.
First baseman Nik Balog reached base safely in three of his four at-bats but Evansville was limited to just four hits in the loss.
The Otters extended their Opening Day winless streak to six games. Their last Opening Day win came in 2008 against the Windy City Thunderbolts.
Evansville never led in the game as Normal took a first inning lead against Otters opening day starter Zach Petersime. With one out in the inning, infielder Santiago Chirino hit a sinking line drive to left. Outfielder Chris Elder dove for the ball but it rolled past him for a triple. Chirino scored in the next at-bat when Mike Schwartz hit a sacrifice fly to center field.
The Otters were unable to tie the game early despite having two men on base in the third and fourth innings. Evansville had first and third with two outs in the third, but outfielder John Schultz was caught stealing second to end the inning. The Otters also had second and third with one out in the fourth, but back to back popups kept Evansville from tallying a run.
Normal utilized a solo home run from outfielder Roman Hernandez in the sixth and another solo home run from catcher Tyler Shover in the sixth for a 3-0 advantage.
The Otters stranded another set of runners in the seventh inning and the CornBelters capitalized on an Evansville fielding error for two more runs in the eighth.
The two teams will meet again on Saturday night at the Corn Crib in Normal, Illinois. The CornBelters will have RHP Michael Schweiss on the mound against Otters left-hander, and former Florida Marlins first round pick, Chad James.
Otters Opening Day will take place on Wednesday, May 21st at historic Bosse Field with a doubleheader sponsored by Carson's Brewery. The Otters host the Rockford Aviators on Deaconess Senior night! First pitch will take place at 5:35 pm CT.
Frontier League Stories from May 16, 2014
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- Lake Erie wins 2014 season opener - Lake Erie Crushers
- Grizzlies Handle Beach Bums in Season Opener - Gateway Grizzlies
- Otters' Offense Limited on Opening Night in 5-0 Loss to Normal - Evansville Otters
- CornBelters Open Season with Shutout Win over Otters - Normal CornBelters
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- Reigning Frontier League Champion Schaumburg Boomers Set Opening Day Roster - Schaumburg Boomers
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- Otters Open 2014 Regular Season at Normal CornBelters - Evansville Otters
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