Ponder's Early Homer Not Enough in Series Middle Game
Published on June 24, 2026 under Frontier League (FL)
Evansville Otters News Release
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The Evansville Otters (25-15) dropped their third straight game for the first time this season, losing the series against the Joliet Slammers (16-23) on Wednesday night, 6-3.
Gunnar Kines got the start for Joliet while Landon Willeman took the hill for the Otters.
Both pitchers escaped jams in the first inning to keep the game scoreless, but the Otters took advantage in the second inning. After a double by Blake Robertson and a single by T.J. Salvaggio, Jon Ponder hit his fifth home run of the year to put the Otters up 3-0.
There were two more scoreless innings from both sides until the fifth, when Joliet opened their scoring. After starting the game 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position, Jackson Valera finally got the big hit for Joliet with a two-run double.
The Slammers would tie the game up in the sixth inning with a Tyler Cerny single that scored Patrick Ward.
Kines settled down after giving up the three-run home run, finishing his day with five and a third innings. Max Martzolf, Ben Catrambone, Ty Rybarczyk and Shaun Gamelin came out of the bullpen for Joliet and combined for 3.2 scoreless innings to keep Joliet in the game.
Joliet would finish the job in the eighth inning. Back-to-back RBI singles by Cerny and Blake Berry gave the Slammers their first lead of the game. A sacrifice fly then brought the game to 6-3.
The Otters fall to 25-15, having lost three games in a row for the first time this season. They drop the series to Joliet, only the second time Evansville has lost a series at home and first since May 12-13 against Washington.
The Otters aim to avoid the sweep tomorrow against the Slammers starting at 6:35 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.
Frontier League Stories from June 24, 2026
- Ponder's Early Homer Not Enough in Series Middle Game - Evansville Otters
- Crushers Take Control Early; Offense Struggles as Mud Monsters Fall 13-2 - Mississippi Mud Monsters
- Titans Spoil Party, Bounce Back for Big Win - Ottawa Titans
- Slammers Get Late-Game Comeback to Win Series against Evansville - Joliet Slammers
- Wild Things Take Nightcap Behind Ryan Ford's Strong Night - Washington Wild Things
- Crushers Ambush Mud Monsters, Win 13-2 in Pearl - Lake Erie Crushers
- Late Game Rally Falls Short, Boomers Take Game Two - Sussex County Miners
- ThunderBolts Split Twin Bill in Washington - Windy City ThunderBolts
- Grizzlies' Skid Reaches Five - Gateway Grizzlies
- Bennett Wins 700th as Boomers Hold off Sussex County - Schaumburg Boomers
- Webster Rebounds, Offense Glides to Series Win - Florence Y'alls
- ValleyCats Drop Eventful One to New York - Tri-City ValleyCats
- Adams' Two-Run Homer Sparks Bird Dawgs to 7-1 Win, Evens Series with Brockton - Down East Bird Dawgs
- Early Damage Sinks Wild Things in First of Wednesday DH - Washington Wild Things
- Jackals Take Series Win over Grizzlies - New Jersey Jackals
- Mud Monsters Sign RHP Jase Schueller - Mississippi Mud Monsters
- Schaumburg Booms Early and Often, Sink Miners in Historic Rout - Sussex County 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.
