Otters Rally Back, Hold Late Lead for 7-5 Win over Lake Erie
July 11, 2015 - Frontier League (FL)
Evansville Otters News Release
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The Evansville Otters (32-18) rallied from a three run deficit and held on late for a 7-5 win over the Lake Erie Crushers (19-28) on Saturday night. Evansville are now tied for first place in the Frontier League East Division, have won the first two games of the series and eye a series sweep on Sunday night.
Lake Erie went ahead early with two runs in the opening frame and another run in the second.
Down 3-0, Evansville surged back in the second inning. Building a two out rally, the Otters scored a pair of runs on a bases loaded single from infielder Cory Urquhart, evened the score on a hit by pitch of infielder Josh Allen and went up on a two-run single from infielder Shayne Houck. Leading 5-3, the Otters increased their advantage with a solo home run from outfielder John Schultz in the fourth.
Evansville starter Tyler Vail utilized the three run lead retiring eight straight batters through the middle innings. After encountering trouble in the seventh, Vail was removed from the contest. Lake Erie drew a run closer on a passed ball, and after back to back hit by pitches from Blake Monar, pulled within a run on a bases loaded walk from pitcher Connor Little. The walk was just Little's second allowed this season. The righty then rebounded with a flyout and strikeout to leave the bases full and maintain the 6-5 lead.
Little also maneuvered around a leadoff single in the eighth, utilizing a double play to keep the one run edge.
Clinging to the 6-5 lead, Otters outfielder Chris Sweeney added to the advantage with a solo home run in the eighth. His eighth home run of the season pushed Lake Erie down by two. Closer Edgar Lopez then entered the game in the ninth and retired all three batters he faced for the 7-5 win.
Vail (5-2) earned the win, yielding five runs (four earned) in 6.1 innings. Lopez earned his 15th save, tied for sixth most in Otters single season franchise history (Kyle May - 1999).
Seven Evansville players recorded at least one hit each in the win. Schultz ended the night 1-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. He also moved into second place in Otters history with 367 total bases. Houck and Urquhart each plated two runs. Allen also tied the single season hit by pitch record (Juan Downing - 19) in the second inning.
First pitch on Sunday is set for 5:05 p.m. CDT at historic Bosse Field. Fans can purchase tickets by calling the team's front office at 812.435.8686 or online at EvansvilleOtters.com.
• Discuss this story on the Frontier League message board...
Frontier League Stories from July 11, 2015
- Florence Rallies Past Boomers - Schaumburg Boomers
- Grizzlies Bounce Back with Quality Team Win to Even Series - Gateway Grizzlies
- Crushers see early lead disappear in 7-5 loss to Otters - Lake Erie Crushers
- Otters Rally Back, Hold Late Lead for 7-5 Win over Lake Erie - Evansville Otters
- Pitching and Power Hitting Lead to Slammers Win over Miners - Joliet Slammers
- ThunderBolts Break Late Tie in 7-5 Win over Traverse City - Windy City ThunderBolts
- Miners Fall to Slammers in Middle Game - Southern Illinois Miners
- Another Rainout Saturday - Rockford Aviators
- Wild Things and Aviators Rained Out - Washington Wild Things
- CornBelters Rained out on Saturday - Normal CornBelters
- July 11 Florence Freedom Game Notes - Florence Y'alls
- Vasquez to Participate in Home Run Derby - Southern Illinois Miners
- Ard Powers Rascals on Pete Rose Night - River City Rascals
- Josh Allen & Otters Seek Series Victory Against Crushers - Evansville Otters
- Normal CornBelters Game Tonight - Normal CornBelters
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
