The Otters fell behind after giving up two runs in the second and one run in the third as the Mud Monsters hurried to a 3-0 lead.
Adrian Montilva made his first professional start for the Otters, giving up two hits and a walk in the second inning that led to two runs. A lead off error ended up leading to the third Mud Monsters’ run. He finished his four innings with two strikeouts and two walks.
The Mississippi starter,who was also making his first professional start,held the Otters hitless through six innings, only scattering three walks in that time.
Joan Gonzalez took to the mound following Montilva and faced the minimum in the fifth and sixth, going six up and six down.
Pavin Parks kicked off the seventh with a leadoff triple and JT Benson followed with a hard hit ball that forced an error, allowing Benson to reach safely and Parks to score. Following a pitching change, Benson would steal second and score on a Keenan Taylor single to cut the lead to 3-2.
Grif Hughes and Alex Valdez shut the door to finish the game for the Otters. However, the Otters’ bats failed to tie the game.
Evansville looks to avoid the sweep on Sunday, with game three in Pearl starting at 2:00 p.m. CT.
