The Evansville Otters (41-19) received a complete game, nine inning shutout from pitcher Will Oliver (8-2), his second this week, for a 1-0 victory against the Washington Wild Things (25-35) on Sunday night.
The victory earns a sweep for Evansville, their seventh three-game sweep this season, and the Otters have now won each of their last four games.
Oliver yielded just five hits and one walk in the contest, striking out nine Wild Things batters in the contest. The right-hander now has eight wins, tied for a Frontier League best. Oliver’s 1.40 earned run average is the second lowest in the league this summer (teammate Trevor Walch – 1.30).
Washington nearly took the lead first but Oliver, who retired the first seven batters of the game, left a man on base in the third and another two men stranded in the fifth.
The game stayed scoreless until the bottom of the fifth when Evansville went ahead on a bases loaded walk by first baseman Nik Balog. Washington starter Ernesto Zaragova (5-5) then induced an inning-ending popup to end the inning. Zaragova tallied eight strikeouts in 5.0 innings.
Ahead 1-0, Oliver worked around a leadoff single in the sixth with back to back strikeouts and a foul pop up to end the threat. He also maneuvered around two singles in the seventh with two straight strikeouts to end the frame. Oliver retired the final eight batters of the game for the one run victory.
Outfielder John Schultz extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a 1-for-2 night with a run scored.
The Otters begin a week-long roadtrip against the Gateway Grizzlies and Southern Illinois Miners on Tuesday, July 28. Evansville returns home for a doubleheader against the Frontier Greys on Wednesday, August 5. It will be Princess Night and Deaconess Clinic Night at the ballpark. First pitch is set for 5:35 p.m. CDT.
