The Otters sent out Garret Simpson for his fifth start and he pitched through the first two innings scoreless and only allowed one hit.
Evansville jumped out in front with a two-out rally in the first, getting three straight hits from JT Benson, Pavin Parks and LJ Jones to take the early lead, 1-0.
Gateway struck back in the third with five runs of their own. Jon Beymer came on in the third to strand two runners in scoring position.
After a leadoff double from Dennis Pierce and a two-out walk from Parks, Jones sent out a three-run home run to cut the lead to 5-4.
Beymer, after getting the final out in the third, worked the fourth and fifth, striking out three and allowing a single run in the fifth to give Gateway a 6-4 lead.
The Grizzlies struck with their second big inning of the night, scoring four runs in the sixth. Ryan Wiltse came on in the sixth to get the final two outs and strand two more runners in scoring position.
After Wiltse worked a clean seventh, Nolan Thebiay worked the eighth, allowing a single run to give Gateway an 11-4 lead. Evansville got one back in the bottom of the eighth off a JJ Cruz single and another run in the ninth from a single from Jones, but couldn’t complete the comeback and ultimately fell, 11-6.
Jones’ five RBIs ties for the team lead in a single game this season. The Otters will head to the All-Star Break nine games back in the Central Division. The All-Star Game will be played in Troy, NY on Wednesday at 6:05 p.m. CT, which includes Otters outfielders JT Benson and Keenan Taylor as well as left-handed pitcher Braden Scott.
After the break, the Otters begin their longest road trip of the season, a nine-game trip with stops at Lake Erie, Quebec and Ottawa.
