EVANSVILLE, IN – The Evansville Otters won their first series of the 2024 season Sunday at Bosse Field after defeating the Joliet Slammers 6-1. The Otters (4-6) jumped ahead to an early lead, then put the dagger in the Slammers (3-6) during the later stages.
Patrick Lee led off the game offensively with a walk. He was later brought in on a fielder’s choice RBI from Jomar Reyes to make it 1-0.
The bats added in the fourth frame. Donivan Williams reached on an error before later coming into score on an RBI-double from Lee down the right field line.
Joliet jumped on the board in the top of the fifth with a run, slicing the lead in half.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Williams led off with a leadoff double. Later, with two outs, Lee walked for the third time, and both runners stole into scoring position. A wild pitch scored Williams on aggressive base running for an important insurance run.
Up 3-1 in the eighth, Lee left no doubt for the Otters, launching a three-run missile over the right-center wall for an opposite field home run.
Pitching was dominant again for Evansville. In a bullpen day, Tristan Harvin pitched 4.0 shutout innings as the starter, racking up 63 pitches. Pat Miner threw the next two frames, allowing the only run (unearned) on an error and earned the win.
Following him, James Krick and Leoni De La Cruz both pitched one-two-three innings. Shutting things down in the ninth, Michael McAvene struck out the side while allowing one walk.
The 13 combined K’s is a season-high for the Otters’ pitching staff in a single-game this season.
Lee led the way with four-RBIs and two hits. He and Williams each scored twice for a multi-run performance.
Evansville will hit the road for the coming week, opening the week day series against Washington before their weekend series against the Florence Y’alls. They begin play on Tuesday against the Wild Things, with a 9:35 AM CT first pitch.
The Evansville Otters
