Braden Scott was sent to the mound for his sixth start of the year. He started off hot in the bottom of the first where he struck out the side to begin his outing.
Evansville responded by giving their ace a run. Dennis Pierce led off the top of the second with a solo home run that wrapped around the left field foul pole.
Going into the bottom of the second with a 1-0 deficit, the Crushers responded. They scored one of their own, but Scott worked around traffic to keep it a 1-1 game.
The Otters immediately gained that lead back in the next frame. Pavin Parks hit a solo home run himself into the wind blowing in from right field. This would give Evansville back the lead at 2-1.
In the fourth, Lake Erie was able to score two after loading the bases with nobody out. They scored another in the fifth to take a 4-2 lead.
Scott worked through until the end of the seventh. His outing finished with seven full innings, allowing four runs and striking out a season high eight batters.
Coming in to relieve him was Nick McAuliffe, who struck out two batters himself to send the game to the top of the ninth, still just 4-2.
Parks lined one over the leaping glove of the Crushers second basemen to lead off the ninth inning with a single. It wasn’t enough, though, as the Otters would fall 4-2.
The Otters are back home tomorrow for Otters Eras Night at 6:35 p.m. CT against the Windy City Thunderbolts to begin a three-game weekend set.
