Otters leave Saturday as division champions

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The Evansville Otters clinched their first division title since 1999 on Saturday, earning the title of Frontier League West Division champions.

The Otters will head into the Frontier League postseason as the top seed, claiming home-field advantage.

 

On Saturday, Evansville fell 10-2 to the Southern Illinois Miners, but with the Florence Freedom’s loss to the Windy City Thunderbolts, the Otters clinched the division title despite what happens on Sunday. Evansville owned the tiebreaker over Florence.

 

In Saturday’s game, the Otters scored first in the first inning off Frank Moscatiello on a wild pitch, allowing Keith Grieshaber to score, giving the Otters a 1-0 lead.

 

The Miners’ offensive explosion started in the bottom of the second, scoring four runs.

 

Gianfranco Wawoe had a bases-clearing three-RBI double and scored on a Jamey Smart RBI single to make it 4-1 Miners after two.

 

The Otters scored a run in the top of the third on a sac fly from Hunter Cullen, scoring Tanner Wetrich, cutting the Miners’ lead 4-2.

 

Yeltsin Gudino responded for the Miners with a two-RBI single in the bottom of the third, making the score 6-2.

 

The Miners would add four more runs in the last 4.5 innings, winning by a score of 10-2.

 

Evansville starter Anthony Arias was given the loss, tossing 4.2 innings, allowing eight runs on 10 hits. His record falls to 2-2.

 

Frank Moscatiello was given the win, throwing seven innings, allowing two runs on three hits while tossing seven strikeouts. His record improves to 2-0.

 

With the Frontier League postseason field set, the Otters will travel to River City for the first two games of the Frontier League Divisional Series.

 

The last game of the regular season will be Sunday at 5:05 p.m. from Rent One Park in Marion, Ill.