Simpson Deals as Otters Take Road Trip Finale
Published on May 30, 2026 under Frontier League (FL)
Evansville Otters News Release
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The Evansville Otters (13-7) got the bats going and had great pitching yet again as they beat the Windy City ThunderBolts (10-11) and split the two-game series at Ozinga Field.
Garret Simpson was on the hill against Blake Nettleton for the 'Bolts. Nettleton, who signed with the team yesterday, made his professional debut today.
Both teams would trade runs in the first inning, but the bats would go silent for Windy City after their run came in the bottom of the frame.
Garret Simpson had his best start of the season, going five innings while only allowing one run and walking just one batter en route to his second consecutive win.
The Otters got the bats going in the top of the fourth. Marcos Gonzalez sent a ball into the left-center field gap, scoring Dennis Pierce and Blake Robertson. His two-run triple is the first three-bagger of the season for Evansville.
They brought in one more in the fifth inning, Logan Brown's groundout scoring Jon Ponder from third base.
They did even more damage in the sixth. Mark Black hit a two-run double that scored Gonzalez and LG Castillo, then Amani Jones brought Black in with a single to center field. In the blink of an eye, it was 7-1 Otters.
The bullpen was lockdown yet again, as Andrew Garcia and David Eckaus combined for three scoreless innings.
Both teams would bring in one more run, as Alex Valdez got the ninth and finished an 8-2 victory for the Otters.
Evansville finishes May at 13-7 after going 8-12 in May last season. They finish the road trip 2-3, with wins in both series finales against Gateway and Windy City.
The Otters will be back home for three midweek matchups against the Mississippi Mud Monsters starting on Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. CST 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 May 30, 2026
- ValleyCats, Mud Monsters Split Doubleheader, Series - Mississippi Mud Monsters
- Slammers' Late Game Rally Falls Short against Gateway - Joliet Slammers
- Titans Blanked by Bird Dawgs - Ottawa Titans
- Fraynel Nova Spectacular in 5-2 Defeat on Saturday - Lake Erie Crushers
- Grizzlies Lead Wire-to-Wire, Beat Slammers to Clinch Series - Gateway Grizzlies
- Thunderbolts Drop Saturday Showdown with Otters - Windy City ThunderBolts
- Bird Dawgs Blank Titans 10-0 to Clinch Series - Down East Bird Dawgs
- Tom Vaeth Earns 300th Win, Czech Sets Franchise Walks Record, Wild Things Take Middle Game - Washington Wild Things
- Simpson Deals as Otters Take Road Trip Finale - Evansville Otters
- Ninth Inning Rally Falls Short at Florence - Schaumburg Boomers
- Villalobos Shines, Offense Delivers in Series Win - Florence Y'alls
- The Carnival Is Coming Back to ForeFront Field June 10-14th - Lake Erie Crushers
- Slammers Fall to Gateway 16-2 - Joliet Slammers
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.
