Walch Guides Evansville to 4-2 Victory, Series Win
July 18, 2015 - Frontier League (FL)
Evansville Otters News Release
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The Evansville Otters (35-18) received 8.0 innings from starting pitcher Trevor Walch, scored three unearned runs, and withstood a final inning rally from the Joliet Slammers (22-31) in a 4-2 victory on Saturday night. The first place Otters have now won the series, are 5-0 this season against the Slammers and eye a series sweep on Sunday night.
Walch (7-3) paced Evansville, yielding just one unearned run on six hits in 8.0 innings. The victory is his 15th with the Otters, tied for third most in franchise history (Jeff Leystra).
Joliet went ahead in the third inning taking advantage of an Evansville fielding error for the 1-0 advantage.
Down by a run, the Otters tied and took the lead in the fifth on a pair of Joliet errors. A sacrifice fly from infielder Josh Allen evened up the score then another throwing error from third baseman Mike Garza pushed Evansville ahead 2-1.
The Otters added another run off a throwing error in the seventh then scored again in the eighth on a wild pitch.
Leading 4-1, Evansville turned to closer Edgar Lopez in the ninth. Three straight singles began the inning for Joliet and a passed ball later in the inning brought the Slammers within two runs. Joliet then loaded the bases but Lopez induced outfielder Phil Bates to ground out and end the contest.
Lopez yielded one run in his only inning of work for his 17th save. The run allowed was the first this season for the right-hander, moving his ERA to 0.55.
Infielder Cory Urquhart ended the night 1-for-2 with two runs scored. Outfielder Dane Phillips saw his nine game hitting streak end with an 0-for-3 night. Outfielder Chris Sweeney tallied a double and now has hit safely in six straight games. Designated hitter John Schultz and Urquhart both extended their hitting streaks to five games each.
The series concludes on Sunday, July 19. First pitch is set for 5:05 p.m. CDT. Fans can purchase tickets by calling the team's front office at 812.435.8686 or online at EvansvilleOtters.com.
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