Otters Win Series, Split Doubleheader with Miner
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Southern Illinois Miners and Evansville Otters split the doubleheader Sunday at Bosse Field, with Evansville winning 10-1 in game one before Southern Illinois avoided the sweep by beating the Otters 5-0 in the series finale in front of 1,782.
In game one, Jeff Gardner led the way with two two-run home runs. Gardner finished 2 for 3 with three runs and five RBIs.
Evansville scored four runs with two outs in the bottom of the first against Southern Illinois starter Ethan Gibbons.
A Gibbons’ wild pitch allowed Dane Phillips to score, giving the Otters a 1-0 lead. John Schultz’s RBI double scored Alejandro Segovia, extending the advantage to 2-0.
That’s when Gardner hit his first home run of the game, giving Evansville a 4-0 lead.
After both teams went scoreless in the second, Evansville put the game away with a three-run third.
Gardner’s second homer made the score 6-0 and an error later in the frame allowed Kolten Yamaguchi to score.
Nick Walker’s RBI double in the fifth made it 8-1. Schultz’s RBI single and Gardner’s fielder’s choice in the sixth capped the scoring in game one.
Max Duval continued his stellar pitching for the Otters, earning victory with his seven-inning complete game performance. He gave up an earned run off three hits and struck out 10.
Gibbons took the loss, surrendering six earned runs off 10 hits.
Along with Gardner, Schultz shined offensively after going 3 for 4 with two runs and two RBIs. He is a hit shy of 400 for his career with the Otters.
In game two, Southern Illinois opened the game by scoring once in the first and second before putting together a three-run third against Evansville starter Diego Ibarra.
Miner Tyler Stubblefield earned the victory with his complete-game shutout. He gave up just four hits and struck out 10.
Ibarra took the loss for Evansville, going four innings and giving up four earned runs off seven hits.
Yamaguchi had two of Evansville’s four hits in game two as he finished 2 for 3. Josh Allen went 1 for 2 and Phillips was 1 for 3.
The Otters will travel to Normal to play the CornBelters in a doubleheader Tuesday at 2:35 p.m. The series finale is Wednesday at 1:35 p.m. All three games will be broadcast on 91.5 FM WUEV with Lucas Corley on the call.
Evansville will return to Bosse Field for Edward Jones Night Friday at 6:35 p.m. The game will feature a postgame fireworks show and tickets are still available atevansvilleotters.com or by calling 812-435-8686.
FOOTNOTE: The Evansville Otters are the 2006 and 2016 Frontier League champions. Group packages and single game tickets are now on sale. For more information, visit evansvilleotters.com or call 812-435-8686.
