EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Evansville (49-28) starting pitcher Brett Marshall threw 8.0 scoreless innings and infielder Rolando Gomez tallied three hits in his debut as the Otters defeated the Schaumburg Boomers (32-46) 5-0 on Sunday night .
The win was the 900th for Otters, most in franchise and Frontier League history. The victory also secured Evansville their third straight 50 win season, something done only one other time in Otters history (2003-05).
Marshall (3-1) earned the victory with 8.0 scoreless innings, of four hit, seven strikeout baseball. He started the evening by working around a bases loaded jam in the first to keep the contest scoreless.
Neither team would score until the fifth when Gomez doubled home outfielder Chris Elder. It was the second hit of the game for Gomez who was playing his first game with Evansville after a trade from Gateway. Gomez also scored later in the inning on a run-scoring double from designated hitter John Schultz.
Ahead 2-0, Marshall maintained the lead leaving another two hitters on base in the sixth.
The Otters added to their lead in the bottom of the sixth on a solo home run from first baseman Nik Balog and RBI singles by infielder Josh Allen and Schultz.
Up 5-0, Marshall retired nine of the final 10 batters he faced and reliever Connor Little tosses a scoreless ninth inning to secure the win.
Allen (one RBI) and Schultz (two RBIs) both tallied two hits. Schultz’ double in the fifth tied him with David Robinson (53) for most in franchise history.
The contest took just two hours and 12 minutes to complete.
Evansville yielded just one run over their final 20 innings of the series. The bullpen has also retired each of the last 16 batters faced.
The Otters continue their six game homestand on Wednesday, August 19 with a doubleheader against the Rockford Aviators. It is Berry Plastics Recycling Night at Bosse Field. First pitch is set for 5:35 p.m. CDT. Fans can purchase tickets by calling the team’s front office at 812.435.8686 or online at EvansvilleOtters.com .
