O’FALLON, MO – The Evansville Otters used a pair of five run innings to take a 10-0 lead and eventually win Game Three of the Frontier League Championship Series, 13-7.
The Otters sent all nine batters to the plate in both of the first two innings leading to five runs in each inning. After a leadoff single from Rolando Gomez to begin the game, Josh Allen sacrificed him over with a bunt to put Gomez in scoring position with one out in the inning. John Schultz then drew a walk and Chris Breen loaded the bases with a single. After a strikeout to get the second out of the first inning, the Otters started a rally. Nik Balog drove in a pair with a soft line drive to left field, scoring both Gomez and Schultz, giving Evansville an early 2-0 lead. After Chris Sweeney drew a walk to load the bases again, that led to a pitching change as Dylan Brammer exited the game after only pitching two-thirds of an inning. Joe Pavlovich entered for the Rascals and immediately gave up a two-RBI single to Christopher Riopedre, driving in Breen and Balog, making it 4-0. Shortly after his single, Riopedre stole second base and the Rascals catcher, Josh Ludy, tried to pick Sweeney off at third base, but threw the ball into left field, allowing Sweeney to score the fifth run of the inning. Julio Rodriguez was the ninth batter of the inning, but grounded out to end it.
After the long top half of the inning, Preston Olson took the mound for the first time in the game and retired the side in order in the bottom of the first, getting a big double play to end the inning. The Evansville Otters quickly got back to work in the top of the second as once again Gomez led it off with a single. Allen then drew a walk and Schultz got his first hit of the night to load the bases again for Breen with nobody out. The Rascals again turned to the bullpen, bringing in Reese Gregory to face Breen. Breen promptly took a 2-0 pitch out to deep left-center field for his second grand slam of the postseason, making it a 9-0 lead for Evansville. After a strikeout and a groundout, Sweeney found a way on base with a two-out single to extend the inning to Riopedre. The Otters shortstop then hit a double but the throw to second base got away from the Rascals infielder, allowing Sweeney to score the fifth run of the inning, and tenth of the game for Evansville.
Preston Olson worked through trouble in the third and also faced some more in the fourth, where he finally allowed two runs to come across in the inning on an RBI groundout by Jason Merjano and an RBI single to left field by Clint Freeman. Olson got out of the inning, only allowing those two runs, making it 10-2 after four innings. Olson allowed the bases loaded in the fifth, and ultimately allowed three runs without recording an out in the inning, leading to his exit from the game. Shane Weedman replaced Olson on the mound, allowing a run on a passed ball before getting the final three outs on a fly out to center field and also a fly out to right field where Breen threw out the runner at home plate, ending the inning and recording the double play. The game would remain at 10-6, and that was as close as the Rascals would get all night.
In the top of the seventh inning, Julio Rodriguez hit a leadoff double down the left field line, and was later brought in by Josh Allen as he made it 11-6 with his sacrifice fly to right.
Weedman was electric out of the bullpen, pitching scoreless sixth and seventh innings, carrying the Otters into the eighth. In the top of the eighth, Gardner and Balog connected on back to home runs to make it 13-6, adding some insurance runs late. Weedman went out to start the bottom half of the inning, but was lifted with one out in the eighth for Ken Frosch. Frosch came in, got a quick fly out to right field before giving up a pinch-hit solo home run to Braxton Martinez, making it 13-7. That would be the final run scored by either side as Frosch and Tyler Thompson combined to record the final five outs, securing the victory for Evansville in Game Three of the Frontier League Championship Series.
Shane Weedman was credited with the victory, while Dylan Brammer took the loss.
The Evansville Otters will have an opportunity to clinch their second ever Frontier League Championship tomorrow afternoon in Game Four. The Otters won it all in 2006, and will try to repeat that effort 10 years later. Matt Wivinis will toe the rubber for Evansville, while River City will send out a left-handed pitcher in Dan Ludwig. Game Four will take place at CarShield Field in O’Fallon, Missouri, with first pitch scheduled for 3:05 p.m. If the Otters cannot clinch the series tomorrow, a deciding Game Five will be played at Bosse Field on Monday evening at 6:35 p.m.
