Phillips Provides 4 RBIs as Otters Persevere Late for 9-8 Win over Joliet
July 17, 2015 - Frontier League (FL)
Evansville Otters News Release
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The Evansville Otters (34-18) received four RBIs from catcher Dane Phillips and persevered through a five run final inning for a 9-8 win over the Joliet Slammers (22-30) on Friday night at Bosse Field.
Joliet started the game with two runs in the top of the first but Evansville answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning. All-Star outfielder John Schultz led off with a double and infielder Josh Allen reached on a hit by pitch, his 20th with the Otters, a new franchise career record. Phillips then plated both runners with a double to left field.
Tied at two, Evansville broke the tie with another pair of runs in the next frame on an Allen single to left field.
Up 4-2, the Otters continued the trend of scoring in each inning with an RBI single from outfielder Chris Sweeney in the third.
Trailing by three, Joliet drew closer with a Phil Bates solo home run in the fourth only to see Evansville post another two runs in the bottom of the inning on a Phillips double.
Ahead 7-3, infielder Cory Urquhart extended the Otters trend of scoring in every inning with a two-run home run in the fifth.
Evansville maintained the six run lead until the ninth when Joliet rallied for three runs off reliever Lance Phillips, bringing the tying run to the plate. Clinging to a 9-6 lead, the Otters turned to closer Edgar Lopez who yielded a two-run single to infielder Alfredo Rodriguez, shrinking the lead to one run. With the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position, Lopez retired the last two batters of the game to preserve an Otters 9-8 victory.
The win is the fourth in a row for Evansville who improves to a perfect 4-0 this season against Joliet.
Left-hander Efrain Nieves (8-2) earned the win and now leads the Frontier League in that category. He pitched another quality start, surrendering just three runs in 7.0 innings. Lopez stays a perfect 16-for-16 in saves by notching the last two outs.
Eight of the nine Evansville starters tallied at least one hit each in the victory. Phillips finishes 2-for-4 with four runs batted in. Allen also tallied two runs and two RBIs as well. The home run for Urquhart was his first since July 25, 2014.
The series continues on Saturday, July 18. It is Riley's Hospital Night, Boy Scouts Night and Star Wars Night. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. CDT. 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.
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