 The Otters and Elijah MacNamee got things started in the top of the first inning.  After a Ryan Long single with two outs, MacNamee ripped a two-run home run to left field, his first professional homer, to give the Otters an early 2-0 lead.Washington’s Hector Roa cut the Otters’ lead in half in the bottom of the first on an RBI single, making the score 2-1.
MacNamee would cash in two more RBIs in the third on a triple, scoring David Cronin and Keith Grieshaber, to push the Otters ahead 4-1 through three.
Washington starter AJ Bogucki would pitch four innings, allowing seven runs on seven hits. He would be given the loss, dropping his record to 2-4.
The Otters would score four runs in the top of the fifth, sending eight men to the plate. Cronin led off with a walk, Grieshaber singled, and Long smacked a two-RBI double, extending the Otters’ lead to 6-1.
J.J. Gould followed later in the inning with a two-RBI single, scoring Long and Jack Meggs, to increase the Otters’ lead to 8-1 and break the game open after five innings. That was plenty of run support for the newly signed Otters’ starting pitcher Matt Burleton, making his professional debut with Evansville.
From the second to the fourth inning, Burleton retired nine consecutive batters but would run into a jam in the fifth With runners on first and second and one out, Meggs at first helped start a 3-6-3 double play to end the threat.
Roa hit another RBI single in the sixth, driving in all the Wild Things’ runs in the originally scheduled games for this weekend.
Burleton pitched a scoreless seventh inning before turning the baseball over to the Otters’ bullpen in Abraham Almonte and Michael Gizzi, who tossed scoreless innings. The left-hander earned his first win in his professional debut, throwing seven strong innings while allowing two runs – one earned – on six hits. He did not record a strikeout but did a solid job pitching to the Otters’ defense.
Cronin added an RBI double in the eighth, giving the Otters nine runs on 11 hits.
MacNamee was a double shy of the cycle, going 3-5 with a home run, triple, and a single while recording four RBIs. He would have multiple hits along with Long, Gould and Grieshaber.
The combination of Cronin, Grieshaber, Long, Gould, and MacNamee would have nine RBIs, ten hits, and seven runs scored.
The Otters return home to Bosse Field for a six-game homestand, starting on Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. for three games against the River City Rascals.
Broadcast coverage can be found on the radio at 91.5 WUEV-FM or streamed on the Otters Digital Network via YouTube with Dave Nguyen (play-by-play) and Bill McKeon (analyst) on the call.
The Otters are celebrating their 25th anniversary season in 2019.  This week’s promotions include $2 Tuesday, Bud Light Thirsty Thursday, St. Vincent Night, Breast Cancer Awareness Night and postgame fireworks by Marathon, and Mascot Day.
To purchase a season ticket or group outing package, call (812) 435-8686 or visit the Bosse Field front office at 23 Don Mattingly Way, Evansville, Ind. The front office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Evansville Otters are the 2006 and 2016 Frontier League champions.
The Otters play all home games at historic Bosse Field, located at 23 Don Mattingly Way in Evansville, Ind. Stay up-to-date with the Evansville Otters by visiting evansvilleotters.com, or follow the Otters on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
