Vail made his deepest start of the season, recording a season-high 10 strikeouts and allowing only two hits.
The right-hander has seen improved performance since transitioning from the bullpen to the starting rotation.
Vail, the Easton, Pa. native, hit Dylan Jones for the first pitch of the game, but was able to settle in with back-to-back strikeouts to Jimmy Galusky and Quincy Nieporte to get out of the top of the first.
The Otters struck first offensively on an RBI single from Ryan Long, scoring Keith Grieshaber, to give the Otters a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
Carlos Castro led off the bottom of the fourth with a solo home run, his sixth of the year, extending the Otters lead to two.
After a J.J. Gould single, Jack Meggs ripped a double down the right-field line giving the Otters a 3-0 lead.
Vail would enter a groove from that point on. Four of his eight innings went in order as he had his secondary pitches working Tuesday, combining that with his fastball. He earned his first win as a starter, improving his overall record to 2-3.
The Otters would score two more runs in the fifth, as errors were committed by the Boomers, allowing Long and Castro to cross home, and the Otters took control of the game at 5-0.
Making his first start since May 17, Payton Lobdell allowed three runs on six hits in four innings. He earned the loss, going to 0-3 on the season.
Grieshaber smacked an RBI double that scored David Cronin in the bottom of the sixth, pushing the Otters’ lead to six. They were able to string together quality at-bats that turned into runs, a formula that has worked for them in 2019.
