In Game 1, the Otters appeared to have the momentum in the beginning of the game.
Playing shortstop for the first time this season, Trevor Achenbach switched defensively from his usual second base position and committed a fielding error that allowed Keith Grieshaber to reach first base.
Ryan Long followed with a double off the right field wall to put runners on second and third with one out.
With two outs, Taylor Lane hit a ground ball to Achenbach that was not fielded cleanly, allowing Grieshaber and Long to score on the error, giving starter Brandyn Sittinger a 2-0 lead before throwing his first pitch.
The Rascals would respond in the bottom of the first, tying the game at two.
Andrew Penner led off with a double and would score on a fielder’s choice by Achenbach to cut the Otters’ lead in half.
Achenbach scored on an RBI single by L.J. Kalawaia as the game was knotted at two heading to the second inning.
From that point on, Rascals starter Brendan Feldmann was locked in, retiring 16 straight batters from the last out of the fourth to the ninth inning. He finished the game with nine complete innings, allowing two hits, two unearned runs, a walk, and recorded 11 strikeouts. He earned the win, his eighth total this season as a Rascal and first in Frontier League postseason play.
The Otters had some miscues that extended innings throughout the game, as four fielding errors were committed.
Kameron Esthay hit a fielder’s choice that scored two runs off an error to give the Rascals a 4-2 lead, and Zach Lavy followed with an RBI single to make the score 5-2 River City after three.
Nolan Meadows hit two two-run homers, one in the fourth and another in the eighth, and Tanner Murphy hit a solo homer in the eighth.
Otters starter Brandyn Sittinger finished with 3.1 innings pitched, allowing seven runs-four earned-with two walks and two strikeouts. He was handed the loss.
Matt Quintana threw 2.2 scoreless innings in relief, Cam Opp tossed a scoreless seventh, and Trace Norkus pitched the bottom of the eighth for the Otters.
The Otters look to regroup quickly for game two Wednesday and even the series.
First pitch from CarShield Field Wednesday will be at 6:35 p.m. in O’Fallon, Mo.
