The Evansville Otters (27-15) utilized 7.0 scoreless innings from pitcher Will Oliver (5-2) and a three hit night from outfielder John Schultz for a 5-2 victory over the Windy City Thunderbolts (15-25) on Thursday night. A season-high 5,600 fans were in attendance at Bosse Field as Evansville swept Windy City, the team’s third sweep of the season.
Evansville broke the scoreless tie in the second inning when outfielder Chris Sweeney reached on a double and was plated on the RBI double from first baseman Nik Balog.
Ahead 1-0, Oliver struck out two batters in the third, and left another two men on base in the fifth. Up by a run, Evansville capitalized on a Windy City error in the bottom of the fifth, scoring an added run on a Schultz single.
Leading 2-0, the Otters tallied another run on a passed ball in the seventh. Evansville tacked on two more runs in the eighth for the 5-0 edge.
Windy City scored a pair of runs off reliever Tommy Danczyk in the ninth and brought the tying run to the plate against closer Edgar Lopez. Clinging to a 5-2 lead, Lopez retired the final two batters he faced to clinch the win and series sweep of the Thunderbolts.
Oliver earned the win, not allowing a walk or a run in his 7.0 innings. The righty yielded just five hits while also striking out five hitters. Oliver’s ERA is now down to 1.69 this season. Lopez also recorded his 12th save in as many chances this season.
In addition to Schultz’s three hit night, Evansville also received another two hit game from outfielder Jeremy Nowak.
The Otters begin a six-game roadtrip at Schaumburg on Friday, July 3. Evansville returns home on Friday, July 10 with a series opener against the Lake Erie Crushers. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. CDT.
