The Evansville Otters slugged their way past the Schaumburg Boomers on Friday night winning the first game of the series 11-6 at Bosse Field in front of 2,306 fans.
Schaumburg got two runs across in the first inning thanks to three Otters errors. Ty Moore brought home the first run of the game with a sacrifice fly. Then a throwing error from shortstop J.J Gould allowed a second run to score in the frame.
Evansville responded with three runs in the bottom of the first. Brant Whiting got the Otters on the board with an RBI single and then with the bases loaded, Austin Bush plated two with a base hit to put the Otters ahead 3-2.
Moore tallied his second RBI of the game in the third with a run-scoring double to tie the game. Then a throwing error from Ryan Long allowed Moore to score on a Kenny Towns grounder and put Schaumburg back in front.
The Otters took the lead back and then some in the fourth. Gould tied the game with an RBI double and he was then brought home on a Long RBI two-bagger. Jeff Gardner capped the inning off with a grand slam, his eighth homer of the season, to put Evansville ahead 9-4.
Gardner then followed up his grand slam with a two-run homer in the sixth, his ninth on the season and his second of the contest, to put the Otters ahead 11-4.
Schaumburg plated one in the seventh on a Towns sacrifice fly and added another in the ninth on a Sean Godfrey solo homer but Evansville would clinch the 11-6 victory with a game-ending double play.
Gardner led the way for the Otters offense, piling up two home runs as while as six RBIs in the three-hit performance.
Tyler Beardsley earns his fourth win of the season for the Otters. Beardsley worked six innings allowing four runs, one earned, while giving up six hits and striking out two.
Payton Lobdell is hung with the loss for Schaumburg. Lobdell went just 3.1 innings giving up five runs on six hits while walking three.
Matt Chavarria earned his first save with the Otters by throwing the final three innings of the game.
Evansville and Schaumburg will continue their series tomorrow evening at 6:35 p.m. at Bosse Field, which will be St. Vincent’s Night.
