Preston Olson allowed four runs through the first three innings, but settled down enough to allow the Otters to climb back into the game and tie it 4-4 in the eighth inning, but it was not to be as Connor Little allowed a solo shot in the bottom of the eighth and the Evansville Otters (27-16) dropped the series opener to the Schaumburg Boomers (19-24) 5-4.
It was a rocky start for Olson who walked three and allowed three in the bottom of the first inning with the big blow a two-out two-run single by Justin Vasquez, putting the Boomers up 3-0. They would plate another in the third on a ground-rule double by Alexi Colon who paced them to the 4-0 lead.
The Otters grabbed one right back in the top of the fourth off of the bat of Nik Balog, who blasted his first home run of the season, making it a 4-1 ballgame. The Otters offense was held quiet in the middle innings before they finally woke up in the eighth.
After Josh Allen singled with one out Cory Urquhart came to the plate and struck out to leave Allen at first and two outs. John Schultz, who went 3-for-4 with a triple and an RBI in last night’s game back in Evansville, doubled into the left center gap to cut the lead in half at 4-2, setting the stage for Shayne Houck. The reigning Frontier League MVP came to the plate and walloped a 1-0 fastball well over the wall and clear over the picnic area in left to tie the ball game at 4-4. It was Houck’s team leading eighth home run of the season and 28th and 29th RBI, putting him one ahead of Schultz in both categories.
However, Connor Little came out to relieve Olson in the bottom of the eighth inning and immediately gave up a solo shot to Alexi Colon to put the Otters behind 5-4. That is where they would stay as the combination of Brandon Bargas and Clark Labitan closed the doors on the Otters in the top of the ninth inning.
The winning pitcher was Bargas who threw one inning of relief and improved to 2-0 on the season while Labitan picked up his fourth save and Little dropped to 1-3.
Tomorrow’s Independence Day Game will start at 6:00 pm CDT and features Tyler Vail (3-2, 4.46) against Edwin Carl (1-3, 4.06). The pregame show with Jake Donnelly will start at 5:40.
The Otters will go out on the road after Sunday’s game and play three games in two days against the Florence Freedom before heading back to Evansville to complete the first half of the 2015 season with a three game series against the Lake Erie Crushers at Bosse Field, next Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
