The Evansville Otters saw their run-scoring offense go quiet against the River City Rascals Friday night, falling 8-1 as River City’s JD Hearn hit a grand slam to give the Rascals the edge in game one.
Otters starting pitcher Jake Welch was coming off three straight wins, hoping for his fourth at Bosse Field on Friday night.
The 6’6†right hander for Evansville had a tough start to the game, walking the first two batters he faced.
With one out in the top of the first, All-Star third baseman Braxton Martinez ripped an RBI single to score Trevor Achenbach, giving the Rascals the first run of the game.
The start of the third inning did not go as planned.
With one out, Welch walked three straight batters and hit first baseman Zach Lavy, which scored Achenbach to extend the Rascals lead to two.
JD Hearn crushed a grand slam over the centerfield wall, his first of the year, to give the Rascals a 6-0 lead.
Welch was then pulled, receiving his first loss of the year since May 15, throwing 2.1 innings, allowing six runs on two hits.
The Otters had a chance to gain momentum in the bottom of the third.
With one out and men on first and second, Ryan Long hit a line drive that was caught by Lavy and tagged Keith Grieshaber for a demoralizing double play.
The Otters scored their only run of the game on an RBI groundout by Hunter Cullen in the bottom of the fourth.
Rascals starter Micah Kaczor made his second start of the season, throwing 4.2 innings while allowing one run on seven hits.
He was relieved for Anthony Herrera, who earned the win, pitching 1.1 innings while allowing zero earned runs.
The Otters and Rascals combined to use seven relievers to finish off the game, as Malcolm Grady, Jacob Hulcher, and Chris Cepeda entered the game for the Otters.
Hulcher allowed a two-run double to Achenbach, his 19th of the season, as the Rascals scored eight runs on five hits.
The Otters hit the ball well, but were not able to put more runs across home plate, scoring one run on 10 hits. Three of those hits came from second baseman David Cronin, who was 3-4 with two singles and a double.
