EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Evansville Otters blanked the Windy City ThunderBolts Sunday at Bosse Field, winning 9-0 for their first shutout of the year.
Right-hander Zach Smith (3-4) strung together a dazzling performance, going the distance and tossing the first nine-inning complete-game shutout of any Otter this season.
While backed with exemplary pitching, the Otters (16-23) tagged the ThunderBolts (16-24) early and never looked back.
In the first inning, Randy Bednar scored two with a double to right-center for the game’s first runs. He later came in to score on a Logan Brown fielder’s choice RBI.
Another trio of runs were put on the board in the third. Evansville strung together a two-out rally, ignited by Brown with a two-strike single to left field. The next batter was hit by a pitch. Four walks in a row followed, in addition to a wild pitch to score all runs.
Later in the fifth frame, Giovanni DiGiacomo doubled with one out. He came in to score on an error by the ThunderBolts shortstop, making it 7-0.
Mason White drove in the final runs in the seventh inning. Justin Felix and Delvin Zinn led off with a single and a walk, then scored on a ball hit to right-center field.
Despite the Otters even in hits at six with Windy City, 13 walks helped propel the Evansville bats. Pavin Parks drew four walks, with DiGiacomo garnering three.
Back to .500 on the home stand, the Otters will conclude the nine-game stint against the Joliet Slammers with a three-game series beginning on Tuesday. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. CT. Coverage is available on the Otters Digital Network and FloBaseball.
