Otters Win 4-1
August 15, 2015 - Frontier League (FL)
Evansville Otters News Release
Evansville, IN- In front 7,147 fans, the largest crowd of the season, the Evansville Otters (49-28) prevailed 4-1 over the Schaumburg Boomers (32-45) with the help of a perfect outing from the bullpen and three late runs including a two-run eighth inning home run from Chris Sweeney on Breast Cancer Awareness Night presented by Comfort Inn & Suites and Marathon.
Blaine Howell, who had made just four starts in 134 professional appearances coming into the game, was great on the mound for the Otters and kept the Boomers off of the boards in the early innings. The Otters took advantage and pushed across a run in the fourth inning on an RBI groundout by Kurt Wertz Jr. for a 1-0 lead. The Boomers got the run right back in the next frame on a double down the right field line by Kyle Ruchim, tying the game 1-1.
Both Howell and the Boomers' starter, Raul Jacobson, refused to wilt after that point and both went six innings, keeping the game at one run a-piece. Howell left the game after his six innings of one run work and handed the ball over to Connor Little who continued his dominance over Frontier League batters; Little faced three batters in the seventh and retired them in order, all on swinging strikeouts.
With the game tied 1-1, the Otters got their first two men on the basepaths with back-to-back singles, but after a failed sacrifice and a flyout to left, they remained at first and second with two outs. However, Cory Urquhart sat on a 1-2 breaking ball and ripped it right back up the middle, breaking the stalemate and giving the Otters a 2-1 lead. Little made sure the lead would hold into the bottom of the eighth inning, striking out the first two batters in the top of the eighth and retiring the next on a popup to center.
Although the Otters had the lead, it was just a one run lead and they were looking for more insurance runs in the bottom of the frame and they got just that thanks to their three and four batters. Dane Phillips doubled to the left-center field gap for the second time on the night, which brought Chris Sweeney to the plate. Sweeney picked up singles in the fourth and seventh innings and it appeared he would go down swinging in his at bat in the eighth, but after falling behind in the count, he worked it full and fouled off three straight pitches before sending a 3-2 hanging breaking ball deep into the night and clear out of Bosse Field for an Otters 4-1 lead. Edgar Lopez trotted out to the mound in the ninth and retired the side in order to end the game.
Blaine Howell received a no-decision in his first start with the Otters despite giving up just the one run in six innings out on the mound. He struck out six and walked three in the outing while giving up four hits. Connor Little was credited with the win (3-5) for his two innings of perfect work while striking out five and Edgar Lopez notched save 20 on the season in 21 attempts as Otters pitchers retired the final 13 batters they faced. Chris Sweeney went 3-for-4 on the night with the two-run hone run and Dane Phillips had a 2-for-4 night at the plate with two doubles and two runs scored.
The two teams will conclude their series with the rubber match tomorrow afternoon with the first pitch scheduled for 5:05 pm CDT and the pregame show featuring Mike Radomski, Bill McKeon, and Jake Donnelly will begin at 4:45 pm CDT. Fans can listen to all three games in the Evansville area on 91.5 WUEV or online at EvansvilleOtters.com. Fans can purchase tickets by calling the team's front office at 812.435.8686 or online at EvansvilleOtters.com. For all of the latest information on the Otters, log on to EvansvilleOtters.com or follow the team's twitter account @EvilleOtters.
Frontier League Stories from August 15, 2015
- Slammers Break out the Bats to Beat Traverse City 12-2 Saturday - Joliet Slammers
- Otters Win 4-1 - Evansville Otters
- Rally Falls Short as Miners Drop Heartbreaker to Greys - Southern Illinois Miners
- Lake Erie Crushers Split DH with Windy City - Lake Erie Crushers
- CornBelters Overcome Early Deficit for 9th Consecutive Win - Normal CornBelters
- Bats Come Alive In Win Over Freedom - Gateway Grizzlies
- CornBelters Defeat Washington 5-3 - Washington Wild Things
- Gateway Uses Big Inning to Beat Florence - Florence Y'alls
- ThunderBolts Split Doubleheader with Lake Erie - Windy City ThunderBolts
- Boomers Drop Pitcher's Duel - Schaumburg Boomers
- August 15 Florence Freedom Game Notes - Florence Y'alls
- Arseneau to Join Padres Organization - Southern Illinois Miners
- Evansville Otters Game Preview - Evansville Otters
- Normal CornBelters Game Tonight - Normal CornBelters
- Miners Fall to Greys in Extras - Southern Illinois Miners
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.
