The Otters sent Alex Canney out for his second start of the season and delivered another gem. He worked through two scoreless innings, striking out two and getting a nifty double play that ricocheted off his glove right to J.J Cruz to begin the play.
Crux led off the third with a single back up the middle, followed by a Cohen Wilbanks walk. Crix Taveras placed his bunt perfectly past the first baseman to get a single as well. With the bases loaded, Ellis Schwartz walked in the first run of the game. J.T. Benson hit a sac fly to make the lead 2-0.
After Canney struck out the side in the fourth, Evansville wasted no time to add some more runs. Logan and Graham Brown both singled to start the inning. Wilbanks stepped up with runners on the corners and one away. He grounded one to first, but hustled to beat the throw back to first, allowing L. Brown to score. Taveras followed with a single, and once again, the hustling Wilbanks scored a run. He tried going first-to-third and forced a wide throw from the outfield that went off an umpire, to which Wilbanks took home, pushing the lead to four.
Canney continued to deal, striking out two in the fourth and worked around two base runners to strike out three more in the fifth to finish his night. He ended with 10 punch outs and joined Braden Scott as the only active Otter to have double digit strikeouts in a game this season.
Gunnar Dennis, who was teammates with Canney at Ole Miss this past collegiate season, followed to work the sixth and the seventh. Not to be outdone, he struck out four, allowing just one hit.
The combo of Logan and Graham Brown struck again in the eighth, as L. Brown doubled, followed by G. Brown’s 10th home run of the season. Wilbanks reached for the third time and Taveras got his third hit of the night and doubled to score Wilbanks, giving Evansville a 7-0 lead.
Nick McAuliffe pitched the eighth, striking out one before Alex Valdez pitched the ninth, also getting a punch out to complete the shutout.
With his three hits tonight, Taveras is now 8-for-13 this week with four doubles and four RBIs. Wilbanks also has a hit in every game he has started since being activated on August 1.
