Otters End Double-Header Split with Joliet Early Friday Morning

Despite Mother Nature's attempt to wash out a night of baseball, the Otters persevere and play into the wee hours of the morning to split a double-header with Joliet in their return to Bosse Field.

Heading into Thursday night's double-header, the schedule read that the first pitch of game one would take place at 5:35pm. Thanks to the rain, that pitch didn't take place until three hours and 12 minutes later at 8:47pm. A game eventually won by the Slammers as they put two runs on the board in the top of the fourth and another in the top of the fifth to beat the Otters 3-1 with Evansville's lone run coming in the bottom of the seventh after a sacrifice fly by Phillip Wilson.

The Otters did have a chance to tie after Shayne Houck made it on base with a single which brought first baseman Nik Balog to the plate. Balog who is batting .290 and is second on the team in hits behind Houck went down swinging against former Otters pitcher, David Kubiak to end the game.

The time on the clock when game one was over? 11:04pm. On to game two...

Despite the first pitch of the second game being thrown at 11:33pm, the Otters fared much better as they beat the Slammers 7-5 after finding themselves down 2-0 in the fourth. A two-run single from Jeremy Nowak tied it up in the bottom of the fourth followed by a five-run fifth inning to lead 7-2. The Slammers added three runs of their own in the top of the seventh before Otters closer, Eric Massingham, got Slammers first baseman, Adam Giacalone to ground out to end the game.

The split, coupled with a Washington Wild Things win against Schaumburg last night, put the Otters two games off the lead in the East Division, tied with the Southern Illinois Miners. Under the rules of the Frontier League, IF the season were to end today, the Otters would be in the playoffs.

Weather permitting, the final game of the series against Joliet will take place tonight at Bosse Field with the first pitch scheduled at 6:35pm. The Otters welcome the West Division-leading River City Rascals tomorrow for a three-game series.