“Grif has put incredible work into his game over the last couple of years,” Otters Field Manager Andy McCauley said. “We are incredibly proud and excited to see what is next for him.”

Hughes has been a highly reliable arm out of the bullpen for the Otters all season. In 18.2 innings of work, he has 28 strikeouts to just three walks. In his 13 games, he has a 4-2 record with a 2.89 ERA.

Last year, in his professional debut season with the Otters, he pitched 44 innings across 36 games, he struck out 61 batters and allowed just 17 walks. The lefty had a 3.07 ERA in 2024, allowing just 18 runs all season.

The Knoxville, TN nativer pitched collegiately at Carson-Newman University, where he had a four-year ERA of 5.48, appearing in 63 games and striking out 147 batters in 120 innings of work.

Braden Scott was sent to the mound for his seventh start of the year and began his outing strong. After a one-out hit, he struck out the last batter of the first inning to retire the side.

In the Otters’ half of the first, Dennis Pierce set the tone early, blasting his second home run of the year over the left field fence to lead it off. At the end of the first, it was 1-0 Evansville.

Washington fought back and tied it up in the second at one apiece, but that’s all they could get off of Scott who worked around some traffic.

Later on in the third, the offense picked back up. Graham Brown and JT Benson both singled with one out to set up the inning. Pavin Parks then hit a sacrifice fly to once again give Evansville the lead, 2-1. The advantage was then extended by LJ Jones, who singled on a grounder to left to score Benson and make it 3-1 Otters.

The Wild Things were shut down after scoring another in the fourth, as Scott would send it to the bottom of the inning still 3-2 Evansville.

The fourth inning was a good one for the offense. It started after Justin Felix reached on an error and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. G. Brown stood in later in the inning and hit an RBI double to score Felix. It wouldn’t stop there, as Parks and Jones hit back-to-back RBI singles to extend the lead to 7-2.

Seven wasn’t enough cushion for this offense, the fifth inning was another productive one. Pierce hit an RBI single and Parks drove in two on a double. At the end of the inning, it had opened Evansville up to a 10-2 lead.

The Otters would score in each of the next two innings, including a Parks sacrifice fly to extend his RBI total to five, and made it a 10-run lead at 12-2.

Scott would ultimately end his day after the seventh. He was phenomenal, going seven, allowing just two runs, only walking two, and striking out nine. In each of his last two outings, he has gone seven innings and recorded a new season high in strikeouts.

The bullpen would come in and take care of business in the final two innings. Nolan Thebiay struck out the side in the ninth to slam the door on the 12-3 series opening win.

Pavin Parks finished with five RBI, the most an Otter has driven in this season. The Otters pitching staff struck out 14 Washington batters in the win.

Evansville is back at it tomorrow at Bosse Field at 6:35 p.m. CT against Washington. It is Evansville Sports History Night with a special throwback Otters theme jerseys.