Otters Silenced After Early Three-Run Lead
Published on May 26, 2026 under Frontier League (FL)
Evansville Otters News Release
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The Evansville Otters (11-5) were shut down after a three-run first and dropped the series opener against the Gateway Grizzlies (7-9).
Landon Willeman was the starter for the Otters against Ty Good for Gateway.
The Otters struck first early in the first inning. Amani Jones hit a two-run HR and J.J. Cruz hit a single to bring in Dennis Pierce to put Evansville up 3-0.
Only two more runners would reach base for the Otters in six innings after that, as Ty Good settled in and pitched a solid final six innings while retiring 16 straight Otters between the second and sixth innings.
The Grizzlies put up one run in the third on a Tate Wargo RBI single.
The bottom of the sixth was where everything turned around for Gateway. A hard hit ball was sent to right field and called a home run, with some questions arising about if the ball one-hopped the wall. After some discussions, the play was ruled a home run for Gateway.
The Grizzlies had momentum and took advantage, with a three-run home run from Mark Shallenberger.
Matt Hickey finished the job for the Grizzlies with two scoreless innings, giving them a 7-4 victory in game one of the series.
The loss drops the Otters to 11-5 on the season, ending their six-game winning streak and dropping to 1-3 on the road. Gateway rises to 7-9 overall and 6-4 at home.
Evansville will play game two of the series tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. at Arsenal BG Ballpark, looking to even the series up against Gateway.
All games can be heard on 96.9 WYIR and the Otters Digital Network and can be viewed live on the Frontier League Network on HTN.
The Evansville Otters are the 2006 and 2016 Frontier League champions.
The Otters play all home games at EVSC's 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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