With the win on Thursday, the Otters moved to eight games about .500.
Joliet threw the first punch Thursday in the top of the first inning when Dash Winningham hit a solo home run to give Joliet the early 1-0 lead.
The Otters would respond in the bottom of the third inning.
Keith Grieshaber would extend his hit streak to 13 games when he knocked a two-run double to score Hunter Cullen and J.J. Gould, giving the Otters a 2-1 lead.
Just as Evansville starter Jake Welch settled into the game, the Otters’ offense picked up steam.
Ryan Long hit his 10th home run of the season to begin the top of the fourth inning, a solo shot to increase the Otters lead to two.
Welch and Joliet’s Tyler Jandron would throw scoreless fifth and sixth innings.
Jandron threw six complete innings, surrendering three runs on three hits while recording 10 strikeouts.
Long smacked an RBI single to score Gould to give the Otters a 4-1 lead.
Dakota Phillips, who came up clutch in game two last night, hit a sac fly to score Cronin to give the Otters’ their fifth run.
When Rob Calabrese worked a walk later in the inning, a wild pitch from Slammers’ reliever Tyler Jones allowed Long to touch home to make the score 6-1.
The Otters would add two more runs in the eighth on an RBI double from Grieshaber and a sac fly from Long to give the Otters an 8-1 advantage.
Welch went out to the mound for the ninth and recorded two of the three outs of the inning, including a sac fly to Peyton Isaacson to make the score 8-2. After allowing a single to Oliver Nunez he was pulled, tossing 8.2 innings and ringing up nine Slammers. He would earn the win to improve his record to 5-3.
Michael Gizzi came in to record the final out of the ninth on a ground ball to Long.
Jandron was credited with the loss, dropping his record to 4-4.
The Otters will begin a six-game road trip, starting with a three-game set with the Florence Freedom during the weekend.
