Pitching Staff Leads Otters to Middle-Game Win
Published on July 18, 2026 under Frontier League (FL)
Evansville Otters News Release
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The Evansville Otters (34-23) took advantage of great pitching to take the second game of the series against the Windy City ThunderBolts (29-28) on Saturday night, 5-0.
Ryan Wiltse got the start for the Otters against Dante Maietta for Windy City.
It took one pitch for the Otters to get on the board first as Jon Ponder hit a leadoff home run.
They would extend their lead in the fourth inning. Sam Linscott blasted a solo home run out of the ballpark before T.J. Salvaggio singled in Mark Black from second base to make it 3-0.
At the same time, Wiltse shut out the 'Bolts offense, finishing the day with 5.2 innings of scoreless ball with five strikeouts.
The lead would only grow for Evansville, as the Otters scored one in both the sixth and seventh innings to make it 5-0.
The Otters bullpen continued where Wiltse left off. David Eckaus, Joe Morrissey and Nate Wohlgemuth continued the shutout all the way into the ninth inning.
With one out in the top of the ninth, the rain began falling, causing a delay and eventual finalization of the game, the Otters getting the win in a slightly-shortened contest.
The Otters ended their four-game skid and even the series. The rubber match against the ThunderBolts is tomorrow at 5:05 p.m. CT at EVSC's Historic Bosse Field.
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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