Evansville Otters outfielder Jeff Gardner won the 2017 Frontier League Home Run Derby presented by MK Orthopedics Tuesday with 14 home runs in the final round.
Florence Freedom infielder Jordan Brower finished second with 13 and Evansville’s Dane Phillips was third with eight in the final round.
Watch on Otters TV // Allen throws BP to Gardner, Phillips // Gardner wins Home Run Derby
Gardner finished with 41 total homers over three rounds. He had 13 home runs in the first round, the highest total among the 12 competitors in the event. In the second round, he hit 14 more to pace the group of six batters vying for the third.
The win in the derby for Gardner comes as he leads the Frontier League with 13 home runs in the regular season. The University of Louisville product also has 41 RBIs and 30 runs scored in 46 games for Evansville.
Most of his home runs sailed over the right field wall at Slammers Stadium, with the wall sitting 327 feet down the line. Gardner clinched the title with a home run that easily cleared the right field wall.
Phillips also advanced to the third round before falling to his teammate. He was fourth in the first round with nine home runs and in the second round; he advanced by hitting 12 more, good enough for second-most among the six competitors.
Evansvilleotters.com will have coverage of All-Star festivities in Joliet so check back for updates throughout the week.
The Otters will travel to Gateway on Friday for the first game of a three-game weekend series. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and Lucas Corley will provide coverage on WUEV 91.5 FM.
The Evansville Otters are the 2006 and 2016 Frontier League champions. Group packages and single game tickets are now on sale. For more information, visit evansvilleotters.com or call 812-435-8686
