EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Evansville Otters used an Elijah MacNamee three-run home run to take the final game from the Lake Erie Crushers, 6-5.
Lake Erie scored in the first inning in a third straight game – once again making use of an Evansville error. On what should have been out three, Tyler Doanes misplayed a ball at second, allowing Jackson Valera to score.
Evansville responded in the third, taking their first lead of the ballgame on a Jeffrey Baez two-run single.
Immediately, the Crushers got back at Austin Gossmann, striking for a pair of runs in the bottom of the third. Connor Owings led off the inning with a solo home run before Kenan Irizarry grabbed the second run on an RBI single later in the inning.
In the fourth, Evansville led off with a walk to J.R. Davis and a single by Steven Sensley. Directly after, MacNamee hit a three-run home run to left center, giving the Otters a 5-3 lead.
Two innings later, the Evansville lead grew once again with an RBI single from Miles Gordon.
Lake Erie mounted their comeback in the eighth, scoring on back-to-back plays from Austin While and Sean Cheely. A double play ended the Crushers’ rally, with the Otters hanging on to a 6-5 lead.
In the ninth, Logan Sawyer entered the game to close things out. Two of the three batters he faced would sit down with strikeouts as Evansville closed out their win.
Gossmann received the win for Evansville, his team-high seventh of the year. The loss fell to Joseph Sgambelluri, who gave up five of Evansville’s six runs. Sawyer received the save, his league-leading 17th of 2022.
Sensley and MacNamee both recorded multi-hit days for the Otters. Gordon had his hit-streak hit 16 games.
The Otters return home for a three-game weekend set with the Gateway Grizzlies. First pitch from historic Bosse Field is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. on “E is for Everyone” Night, which celebrates all things Evansville.
