The Evansville Otters split their home-opening doubleheader against Equipe Quebec Saturday night, winning 6-3 in game two after a 3-2 loss in game one.
After over 600 days since their last regular season home game at Bosse Field, the Otters welcomed back 1300 plus fans to the historic ballpark Saturday.
The home-opener featured exciting baseball and fun for the fans.
Tyler Vail started for the Otters in game one and pitched well. He earned a quality start after going six innings and allowing three runs. Unfortunately, Evansville’s bats just could not get going enough against Equipe Quebec’s pitching staff.
The lone offense in game one came off the bat of Trent Nash, who tied the game in the bottom of the fourth inning with a clutch, two-out, two-run double.
Equipe Quebec regained the lead a half-inning later off the bat of Elliot Curtis, who hit a go-ahead solo home run in the fifth. Equipe Quebec would hold on to win 3-2.
The Otters would fare better in game two. After allowing Equipe Quebec to take a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, a misread in right field allowed a Riley Krane fly ball to fall on the warning track for a three-run, inside-the-park home run.
In the bottom of the third, after David Glaude had tied the game in the top half with a solo homer, Riley Krane stepped to the plate for a second time. With Andy DeJesus aboard, Krane belted a home run to right field that gave the Otters a 5-3 lead.
From there, the Otters never looked back, as Justin Lewis, Abraham Almonte, and Logan Sawyer threw a scoreless fifth, sixth, and seventh innings, respectively, retiring nine Equipe Quebec batters in a row. Sawyer earned his first save of the year.
The Otters continue their 2021 campaign and close out their three-game series with a rubber match against Equipe Quebec on Monday.
The Evansville Otters announced Saturday that Monday’s game against Equipe Quebec will be played at 4 p.m. from German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium on the campus of the University of Evansville.
The change in time and location is due to the IHSAA Sectional Tournament being hosted at Bosse Field, with three games on tap Monday.
The Memorial Day game will have limited seating and no concessions.
