Game 2 Gateway Grizzlies @ Evansville Otters, 5/10/2025 (AudioCast)

Game 2 Gateway Grizzlies @ Evansville Otters, 5/10/2025 (AudioCast)

Hello everyone and welcome back to historic Posi field. Game two of this 2025 season about to get underway. Reminder, you’re listening to the Papa John’s pregame show. Papa John’s is the official sponsor of the Otter pregame and postgame shows available every game night, 20 minutes before and 10 minutes after each Otter game on the Otter Digital Network and home team network. I’m Angel alongside Lucas Mlin. Lucas last night for the Otter. It was a heartbreaker in the eighth and ninth innings. Gateway able to come back from four runs down to shock the Otter on opening night. Yeah, and they did a great job pulling ahead, getting those runs and putting themselves in a position to get an opening day win against a team that should be really good this year. But unfortunately, just some tough outings for pitchers you expect to be big players for the Otter this year. for Evansville coming into tonight. There’s a sense of optimism even after that opening loss against a really good gateway team and a lot of that comes from the starting pitching performance of Braden Scott. Yeah. And one of those things that we talked about uh we’ve talked about with the team is he does a really good job if he can get out of that first inning. We saw a little bit of control issues the first couple of batters but then did a really great job shutting down uh the Grizzlies and went into the fifth inning I believe with a no hitter. uh eventually obviously went out only went through five early in the season. You don’t want to run through your pitchers this early. You want to protect them as you go along. Uh but it’s a great sign seeing what he can do already and hopefully as we go throughout the year he could be a a key starter for this Evansville team. Now Evansville and Gateway was one of four teams yesterday in the Frontier League. The other three are as follows. Shamberg and Juliet played Juliet getting a five nothing win over the Boomers. Windy City and Washington played 9 to8 Windy City in that one. And then Ottawa beat Down East 10-3 in that one. When we come back, we’ll go over the starting pushing matchup and we’ll take a look at today’s starting lineup. You’re listening to the Honors Digital Network and watching on the Home Team Network. Catalyst Church Food Pantry is honored to be the nonprofit partner of Friday, May 23rd’s Otter Game. Catalyst Church invites the community, but also the churches from the tri-state to come and unite at one game as one church around one cause. Catalyst Church invites each person to bring at least one, if not more, non-p perishable food item for their food pantry to continue helping the Evansville community. A great night of baseball is planned and postgame fireworks are just part of the fun. More information can be found on Catalyst Church Evansville’s Facebook page. For the last five years, the Evansville African-American Museum and the Evansville Otterers have partnered together to offer tickets at no cost for the whole family for the Junth Negro Leagues baseball tribute. All are invited to celebrate Junth with us on June 19th for the annual Salute to the Negro Leagues game. Pregame activities start at 4:30 with first pitch scheduled for 505. For information on these tickets, fans can stop by the Evansville African-American Museum at 579 Sandre Matthews Way in Evansville or any local Evansville Vanderberg Public Library. Maintaining our independence becomes more and more vital as we age. Swarka and Moore can help you navigate this important journey by answering your questions and connecting you to free and unbiased community resources and support services. If you are seeking advice for yourself or a loved one, let Swa be your first call. More information available at swarka.org or by calling 812-464-7800. Ballet Indiana is made up of local ballet professionals, dedicated parents, and community members in order to provide unique and life-enriching experiences for hundreds of young dancers while carrying out their mission to inspire a lifelong appreciation for dance for both our dancers and the Evansville community. More information on Ballet Indiana and information about their upcoming performances is available at ballet Indiana.org. Welcome back everyone. Historic Bossy Field game two of 96 here in 2025. Reminder, you’re listening to the Papa John’s pregame show. Papa John’s is the official sponsor of the Otter Pregame and postgame shows available every game night 20 minutes before and 10 minutes after each Otter game on the Otter Digital Network and Home Team Network. Game one of a double header duel. We’ll take a look at the starting lines for each squad be beginning with the visiting Gateway Grizzlies. Mark Sher lefty leading off playing left field batting behind him. Carolina Halbertson. He’ll be manning second base. Pax wall has a big clutch hit last night. He is ditching the three hole here this evening. DJ Stewart playing third and doing so very well. Batting fourth. Victor Castile, another left-handed bat in right field tonight. Dale Thomas, the shortstop for this Gateway team, batting seventh. Then Ross Friedrich, big crutch, two-run homer yesterday evening. He’s playing first base, batting eighth. And then Cole Brandon in center field, Jose Alvarez catching, rounding it out. Yeah, and obviously Shalonberg was held off the hit calm from last night, but he is a guy that we expect big things from. Obviously Gateway does as well. Had a fantastic career down here at the University of Evansville and we expect that to carry over. A guy that if if things go right is could be expecting a call up at some point into a major league affiliate. He is a guy that I mean when you anywhere within D1 get a 514 on base percentage a 687 slug. He had 17 home runs uh for the University of Evansville. Anytime you do that uh you’re obviously a fantastic player. Again the Otter were fortunate to hold him off the hit calm last night. He did get a walk uh but you can’t expect to keep him down the whole series. We’ll have to see what he does tonight. For the home Evansville Otter, their starting line is as follows. Our K Camo, he is manning shortstop stout tonight, leading off Graham Brown, centerfielder, batting second. David Mendum, dhing in the first game of this double header. He’s batting third. LJ Jones, former Springfield Cardinal, playing first base, batting fourth. JT Benson, newly acquired JT Benson as of yesterday morning, playing right field, batting fifth. JJ Crew, second baseman, is batting sixth. Larry Gil getting his first start of the year tonight, playing third base, batting seventh. Cohen Wolfbanks, also his first start of the year. He is behind the plate. Then Keenan Taylor left field rounding it out at number nine. Yeah, and I want to talk about Ray Gil here. He did not play in game one of this series, but he’s a guy that has a lot of pop in his back. He does a great job watching and waiting for his pitches. Uh in five years between in college between Miami and Jacksonville, he had a 282, 367, 488 slash line with 38 home runs. And then the last three seasons in the Pioneer League, he got 49 home runs and did a great job at not striking out too much. Uh did a great job getting on base with a 395. So, it’ll be fun to see what he can do for this Otter’s lineup. Uh, with a lot of pop, does a great job waiting for his pitch, and we’ll be excited to see what he can do for this hopefully potent offense. And pitching wise for both these squads. Yesterday, got really good outings from their season opening. Pitchers are looking for the same thing in their game two starters. For Gateway, it’s Alvary Deos Santos. And for Evansville, it is Parker Brahms. Yeah, this will be the first time we see Alvary Deos Santos here uh this year. obviously his first game of the season last year. Pitched to a 342 RA, only started four games, so this is his fifth start uh for the Grizzlies in his career. He pitched 68 innings last year. Did a good job keeping people off base with only 27 walks. For the Otter, you have Parker Brahms, a veteran of this squad. He spent three seasons with the Otter so far. This will be his fourth. He started in 32 games, pitched to a 347 RA. Uh had a 2.55 RA the first each of his first two years. Last year was a little bit down, but a guy you can you can expect a lot of and hopefully we’ll get a great game here in game number one for him. With a guy like Dol Santos who throws everything, how do the Otter need to approach this game at the plate the first time through? It’s really going to be all about kind of feeling it out. I mean, when you throw so seven different pitches and you know, as we have here, he can get up to 94 miles per hour on his fast ball. That’s going to be a lot of a lot of adjustment. I think your real goal here is to try to work them as much as you can and try to get to that bullpen, especially here in game number one. So that way they are a little bit more gassed in game number two. It’s really just going to be about trying to find your pitch, wait on those quick pitches, adjust if it’s an off speed. It’s it’s going to come down. It’s going to be different for each pitcher, but it’s going to be about working counts, I think. And and really after last night, it seems like against this gateway squad, if you’re going to win, you got to win the game early. The the back end of this bullpen is ridiculous. Sam Kunrock, former major league pitcher, came out last night, slammed the door, striking out the side, reaching 97 mph on the fast ball with a wicked slider. But then you have Daniel Cruz, you have there’s so many different guys on the back end of this Grizzlies bullpen that it seems can come in, shut the door, and each could be a closer in a different squad in the Frontier League. Yeah, I mean, exactly. We didn’t even see Pero last night. We’re almost certainly going to see him today after he did not pitch yesterday. You have so many great arms out of this bullpen. kind of what they’ve built their team around. And when you do that, you just you’re trying to have the lead going into those last three innings. If you could have the lead, you feel confident that you guys are going to shut the door. We saw last night in the ninth inning, you get Kunrod in there, if he’s here, you get Kun in the night with the lead, he’s not going to give it up. That dude is elite. He is a former major league pitcher for a reason. We saw last night him get up to 97. Who knows how hard he can get up to a nasty, nasty slider. You do not want to get to the ninth inning losing to these Gateway Grizzlies because it’s going to be a tough comeback. But and for Evansville, I I feel like the potential for that bullpen is there. Last night, obviously a tough one for the Otter, but if you’re an Honors fan, it’s early in the season. Game number one. We love to overreact as fans, but sometimes it’s just not fair to those bullpen guys who have the potential to be really, really strong throughout this year. Yeah, and I think we got some good performances from Nate Wolgamuth and Griff Hughes. both guys that you want to get some from, especially the newcomer Wolgamoth in his first season. Uh, but guys like Yoan Gonzalez and Alex Valdez. Valdez for the Otter last year had a 1.26 RA, we expect those bouncebacks backs. It’s game number one. You don’t want to overreact. This is a bullpin that should be really, really good. It should be able to hold leads for this team, but obviously we’ll have to wait and see. It is also a very young overall pitching rotation, specifically with a lot of these newcomers that are coming in. It’s going to be fun to see, you know, how they come out, how they perform, and and kind of see what kind of role they can fit themselves here in Evansville. And I feel like after a game like that last night where you’re ahead of it most of the time and it kind of just falls away from you in the latter half, it’s really up to the offense the next day to step it up. We we got the chance to talk to Olay Camo a little bit prior to this one and he was really embracing the fact that when something like that happens last night, the offense needs to come in and pick it up. He says mostly for him as the leadoff man is just to get on base. Make sure that these middle of the bats have a chance to succeed. Yeah, I mean you just you always whenever you’re going up there, you’re just trying to get to the next guy. Just continue to try to get on base, get to the next guy, keep the line moving, and if you can do that, you’re going to set yourself up really well. Uh, you know, a a big thing about baseball is being on base for those big hitters. There’s a lot of big hitters in this lineup for the Otter. So, if you are if you’re able to get on base, you’re gonna have a good chance to score. We saw top four in the lineup for the Otter yesterday all got in on runs because you said it, the middle of that lineup is very, very dangerous. It’s a lot of pop in that part. Uh, so especially for a guy like Leam Mo and the bottom of the lineup specifically, getting on base to set those guys up is going to be huge. And we saw last night they were able to they were able to get on base. At this point it’s about driving them in. Left nine runners on base. Don’t want to do that again, especially against a team. When you have an opportunity, you need to take advantage of it. We’ll see if they can kind of adjust to today. Remember, Otter St. Home Team Network is the exclusive home of every Frontier League game this year. Check out the Home Team Network to sign up today and get a front row seat to every Otter game in 2025. When we come back, it’s first pitch. We’re finally ready for some baseball. We’ll be back in a few. Right now in Vanderberg County, over 800 children are in the child welfare system waiting for someone to be their voice. And you could be that voice by becoming a court-appointed special advocate, a CASA volunteer. Donating just a few hours a month of your time can change a child’s life forever. Vanderberg County CASA invites you to join them. Stand up, speak out, be for the child, be a CASA. For more information, visit vanscasa.com. That’s van dcasa.com. Ballet Indiana is made up of local ballet professionals, dedicated parents, and community members in order to provide unique and life-enriching experiences for hundreds of young dancers while carrying out their mission to inspire a lifelong appreciation for dance for both our dancers and the Evansville community. More information on Ballet Indiana and information about their upcoming performances is available at balletindian.org. Maintaining our independence becomes more and more vital as we age. Swarka and more can help you navigate this important journey by answering your questions and connecting you to free and unbiased community resources and support services. If you are seeking advice for yourself or a loved one, let SWA be your first call. More information available at swerka.org or by calling 812-464-7800. Originally opening in 2004, Jacob’s Village has been a home for adults with disabilities, giving these great residents a wonderful opportunity to live life just like you and me. Jacob’s Village mission is to continue building a safe, walkable neighborhood community where people with disabilities and older adults can find meaningful relationships, affordable and accessible housing, and activities to keep their bodies and minds engaged. We can’t wait to have Jacob’s Village at the ballpark on July 3rd for our annual Red, White, and Blue Night. More information on this great community partner is available at jacobsvillage.org. For the last five years, the Evansville African-American Museum and the Evansville Otters have partnered together to offer tickets at no cost for the whole family for the Junth Negro Leagues baseball tribute. All are invited to celebrate Junth with us on June 19th for the annual salute to the Negro Leagues game. Pregame activities start at 4:30 with first pitch scheduled for 505. For information on these tickets, fans can stop by the Evansville African-American Museum at 579 Sandre Matthews Way in Evansville or any local Evansville Vanderberg Public Library. Catalyst Church Food Pantry is honored to be the nonprofit partner of Friday, May 23rd’s Otter Game. Catalyst Church invites the community, but also the churches from the tri-state to come and unite as one game as one church around one cause. Catalyst Church invites each person to bring at least one, if not more, non-p perishable food item for their food pantry to continue helping the Evansville community. A great night of baseball is planned and postgame fireworks are just part of the fun. More information can be found on Catalyst Church Evansville’s Facebook page. Right now in Vanderberg County, over 800 children are in the child welfare system waiting for someone to be their voice. And you could be that voice by becoming a court-appointed special advocate, a CASA volunteer. Donating just a few hours a month of your time can change a child’s life forever. Vanderberg County CASA invites you to join them. Stand up, speak out, be for the child, be a CASA. For more information, visit vanscasa.com. That’s vendcasa.com. Ballet Indiana is made up of local ballet professionals, dedicated parents, and community members in order to provide unique and lifeenriching experiences for hundreds of young dancers while carrying out their mission to inspire a lifelong appreciation for dance for both our dancers and the Evansville community. More information on Ballet Indiana and information about their upcoming performances is available at balletindian.org. Maintaining our independence becomes more and more vital as we age. Swarka and more can help you navigate this important journey by answering your questions and connecting you to free and unbiased community resources and support services. If you are seeking advice for yourself or a loved one, let SWA be your first call. More information available at swerka.org or by calling 812-464-7800. Originally opening in 2004, Jacob’s Village has been a home for adults with disabilities, giving these great residents a wonderful opportunity to live life just like you and me. Jacob’s Village mission is to continue building a safe, walkable neighborhood community where people with disabilities and older adults can find meaningful relationships, affordable and accessible housing, and activities to keep their bodies and minds engaged. We can’t wait to have Jacob’s Village at the ballpark on July 3rd for our annual Red, White, and Blue Night. More information on this great community partner is available at jacobsvillage.org. For the last 5 years, the Evansville African-American Museum and the Evansville have partnered together to offer tickets at no cost for the whole family for the Junth Negro Leagues baseball tribute. All are invited to celebrate Junth with us on June 19th for the annual salute to the Negro Leagues game. Pregame activities start at 4:30 with first pitch scheduled for 505. For information on these tickets, fans can stop by the Evansville African-American Museum at 579 Sandre Matthews Way in Evansville or any local Evansville Vanderberg Public Library. Catalyst Church Food Pantry is honored to be the nonprofit partner of Friday, May 23rd’s Otter Game. Catalyst Church invites the community, but also the churches from the tri-state to come and unite at one game as one church around one cause. Catalyst Church invites each person to bring at least one, if not more, non-p perishable food item for their food pantry to continue helping the Evansville community. A great night of baseball is planned and postgame fireworks are just part of the fun. More information can be found on Catalyst Church Evansville’s Facebook page. Right now in Vanderberg County, over 800 children are in the child welfare system waiting for someone to be their voice. And you could be that voice by becoming a court-appointed special advocate, a CASA volunteer. Donating just a few hours a month of your time can change a child’s life forever. Vanderberg County CASA invites you to join them. Stand up. Speak out. Be for the child. Be a CASA. For more information, visit vandcasa.com. That’s van dcasa.com. Ballet Indiana is made up of local ballet professionals, dedicated parents, and community members in order to provide unique and life-enriching experiences for hundreds of young dancers while carrying out their mission to inspire a lifelong appreciation for dance for both our dancers and the Evansville community. More information on Ballet Indiana and information about their upcoming performances is available at ballet indiana.org. Maintaining our independence becomes more and more vital as we age. Swarka and more can help you navigate this important journey by answering your questions and connecting you to free and unbiased community resources and support services. If you are seeking advice for yourself or a loved one, let Swa be your first call. More information available at swarka.org or by calling 812-464-7800. Welcome back into Bossy Field as we are nearing the first pitch. Parker Brahms out there for the Otter today. And obviously we’re going to be expecting him to go hopefully five innings, maybe more, but more than likely it’s probably where the cap’s going to be. How huge is for him to get that first big start here for the Otter in this double header? I mean, it’s extremely important just for his confidence. He He one of those guys where once he gets into a rhythm, he really falls into it. But if he gives up a couple of runs early or walks a couple of guys in a row, it can throw him off on the mental side. So, if he can keep his confidence and stay on the mound with that swagger that we know he has, it can be really effective against this Gateway team. Yeah, and obviously we kind of mentioned it in the pregame show. A very different lineup for the Otter today. Andy McCauley or manager of the Otter, very big on changing up the lineup a lot. Uh, one of the big players you’re big on, Conbanks, behind the plate today. What do you expect to see from him? Well, he he’s one of those guys where he has really good bat ball skills, es especially at the college level. The question is, can he defend at the professional ranks like he did in the college ranks? Justin Felix, one of the best pitch callers in the Frontier League or maybe even in independent baseball in general. So, if Will Banks can somehow fill those shoes defensively, I expect to see him getting a lot of starts in 2025. Yeah, obviously it’ll be a wait and see type situation. see how he kind of plays out for a lot of these newcomers. It’s kind of about how are they going to perform in these live games. We’ve seen some big big games for some of these newcomers and we’ll have to see obviously going forward. Like I mentioned, Parker Brahms on the bump today for the Otter uh four seasons at Sacramento State where he put up a 315 RA. He was drafted in 20 2019 in the 27th round pick and we’ll be excited to see what he can get the Otter this year. Like I said, a big rotation or big veteran within this rotation. his fourth year with the Otter. Like I mentioned, a 3470 RA in those years and eight strikeout per nine average. Went a little bit down last year with 6.8 strikeouts per nine. So we’ll see how he kind of does and as you mentioned big on momentum and that will bring in the purple former former purple ace for to the plate and Mark Shaenberger. He comes set Brahms’s first pitch to him. That one is hit high and deep. In center coming in and making the grab is Graham Brown for the first out. So quickly one away for Brahms and that brings in number 22 Ken Halverson who was manning second base today. That’s how you get a lot of success off of Shaenburgger. If you can Tim Tim with a good first pitch fast, he has a tendency to pop those up and get first pitch outs like that instead of having great at bats like he usually does. Yeah. And like I said, great first at bat there for Braums. Ken Halverson here with Gateway. He second pitch ripped down the left field line. That one is going to get down but foul. So a break there for Bronze. That one looks just foul. Halverson out of Utah Valley University where he hit 295 with 10 home runs and 45 RBI’s during his two seasons there. played with Grand Junction last year in the Pioneer League and see if what he can give for the Grizzlies today. Next pitch swung on a miss quickly up 0 and2 for Brahms. Does a great job pounding the zone. Halverson went one for five last night with a double. Scored a run. Struck out twice. So obviously the capability to do that and we’ll see what kind of swing he gives here. go to pitch. That one taken high for ball number one. That one came in at 87 miles per hour. So, we’ll see if that’s where Braum stays overall. Next pitch. That one’s fouled off the hand. So, a good battle here for Halverson. We mentioned trying to drive up the pitch count. Obviously, it’s going to be big for both of these teams. Both these teams went fairly deep into their bullpen yesterday. And with two games today, both of them being seven innings. Obviously, you’re going to want to get length out of your starter. And Halverson doing a good job battling here. One-two pitch, that one is fouled back as well. So, like I said, great battle here. That one came in at 72 miles per hour. So, Bronto doing a great job varying up the speed. Hmerson, even in his two strikeouts last night, battled like this, continued to foul off pitches. He’s definitely not an easy out at the top of this order for the Grizzlies. One-two pitch. That one is popped up. JJ Cruz will camp under it at second base for out number two. So quickly two away for Parker Brahms as that will bring up the big swinging Paxton Wallace for the Gateway Grizzlies. Wallace with a double, the game-winning RBI in last night’s game. And the first pitch to him. That one is hit towards JJ Cruz on the ground. Throw to first will be in time. So great in hitting from Brahms. He gets the Grizzlies out one, two, three. And we’ll be back after this short commercial break. Originally opening in 2004, Jacob’s Village has been a home for adults with disabilities, giving these great residents a wonderful opportunity to live life just like you and me. Jacob’s Village mission is to continue building a safe, walkable neighborhood community where people with disabilities and older adults can find meaningful relationships, affordable and accessible housing, and activities to keep their bodies and minds engaged. We can’t wait to have Jacob’s Village at the ballpark on July 3rd for our annual Red, White, and Blue Night. More information on this great community partner is available at jacobsvillage.org. For the last five years, the Evansville African-American Museum and the Evansville Otterers have partnered together to offer tickets at no cost for the whole family for the Junth Negro Leagues baseball tribute. All are invited to celebrate Junth with us on June 19th for the annual salute to the Negro Leagues game. Pregame activities start at 4:30 with first pitch scheduled for 505. For information on these tickets, fans can stop by the Evansville African-American Museum at 579 Sandre Matthews Way in Evansville or any local Evansville Vanderberg Public Library. We’re here back in beautiful Bossy Field as Alvie Deos Santos comes to the mound trying to shut down this Otter’s offense. Tonight’s pitcher cater catcher battery is Alvie Deo Santos as the pitcher. Jose Alvarez is behind the plate. Uh, the pitcher catchery batteries is sponsored by the answer auto repair east. Find your battery needs needs at the answer auto repair east located at 2319 north green river road or call 812-4759000. As we mentioned before the game, Alvary de los Santos did a great job out of the bullpen for most season last year for the Grizzlies. Today is getting his getting a start. He started four games last year and again trying to just give some length so that bullpen can get some rest. And early on in the season, you’ll see a lot of these pitchers not go as deep as maybe they are able to just to keep that pitch count low, keep the arm fresh for a long grueling campaign that is ahead. So, and with the depth of Gaylord, it wouldn’t surprise me if Gay Santos, who is a former long relief guy, might only go four or five innings tonight. Yeah, we were told before the game 85 pitches probably the cap and that seems pretty high, honestly. So, we’ll kind of see what happens. leading it off for the Otter here in this ball game at Lake Kamo. We talked about his what he talked about his approach before the game. Put he’s had some great at bats, had some great at bats last night. He put he hit the ball hard in the preseason. So, we’ll see what he can do for the Otters. Here comes the first pitch from Dlo Santos. That one is fouled off. Playing in a little bit at third base and a little bit shifted as DJ Stewart and we’ll see kind of maybe expecting a bunt. He steps back a little bit back into the dirt. They are shifted a little bit right on the infield pretty straight up and in the outfield. Next pitch from Dlo Santos. That one hits him in the back. 92 to the back. Cannot feel good, but it is a first base runner for the Otter. And a good way to start the game, even if it does come at a painful price. Yeah, might have some laces on his back tomorrow morning when he wakes up. But he mentioned, you know, getting on base at whatever the cost this morning just to try and spark something in this offense. And he does exactly that. getting on base in his first out of the game for the second night in a row. Yeah, Alle Camo not the most prolific base stealer on this team, but he was 12 for 21 during his stint in the Padres’s minor league system. First pitch to Graham Brown taken for a strike. That one’s sitting 93. So fast pitcher here for the Grizzlies. Graham Brown at the plate as I mentioned three seasons with Coastal Carolina as he takes a second pitch high where he put up a 396 467 565 slash line and he would did a great job getting on base. Talked about getting on base with the big hitters. This is exactly the guy you want at batting number two for this lineup. He takes that pitch for a ball as the count moves to two and one now. Deos Santos seems to have a little zip on that fast ball. We were told 92 to 94. He just bun out 94. Second batter of the game and he has got a big arm. That one swung a missed for strike two. That one drops to 85. We mentioned a lot of different pitches for De Los Santos. So, it’s going to be a lot of varied looks for these hitters. And it’s going to be interesting to see kind of how he utilizes that when he goes in between each time he goes to the lineup as Graham Brown fouls that one back to keep the count at two and two. It’ll be interesting to see, you know, as a catcher Alvarez having to have so many different sides. Well, now with a pitch comp, not necessarily. We’ll see if how Alvarez uses that repertoire to call the game. That one taken low. So, a great battle here from Graham Brown as the count moves full. And now with a full count, we’ll see if this is a situation where the Otterers want to send to Lake Mo to stay out of double play. Dale Santos comes set away does go and strike three cold th is out as well. So a strike him out throw him out and two big outs for the Grizzlies in this first inning. We talked about setting the stage early for the Otter offense. Getting that man on first base with the big hitters coming up. Just can’t do that if you have a situation like that. If you’re Graham Brown, anything close, you have to take a hack at it or at least try and put the ball in place so that exact thing doesn’t happen. Yeah. And that’s exactly what you want when you put on a hit and run like that, you’re expecting him to either hit the ball somewhere or take the ball forward and either and that one ends up in a strikeout looking. So that will bring up David Mendum to the plate. That one taken just on the outside corner for strike one. Dave Amendom really the star hitter for the Otter last year. Was at the All-Star game, won all-star game MVP. Obviously one of the big players that are back for this team and if you’re going to have a good season, he’s going to have to have a good season alongside it. Second pitch for Menum. That one’s taken just outside. Began the scoring last night for the Otter as well. Two-run single in the third to put the Otter on top for the first time in this campaign. Hopefully he has a big year for this Otter for the Otter as you said. Has some really good gap power. Gets on base at a high percentage. Takes that one for a ball. Makes the count to two and one. Does a great job getting on base. Had a 427 on base percentage last year. Walked 67 times. Only struck out 58 times. Does a great job controlling the strike zone. And that one thrown there. He stopped. He tried to get the wind up going, then he stopped halfway through. I believe that’s a bulk. So it will be a ball three. So count will move to three and one. Don’t see that too often. Maybe a cleat got stuck on the mount or something. Not sure if he second guessed halfway through and just didn’t want to end up with a pitch. who knows where. But either way, count is now three and one with two away here in the bottom of the first inning. Still no hits on the board for either side as Mum will swing at that pitch. That one just squirts through the infield for a base hit as Mum will round first and stay there. So a hit here for the Otter as they get something going with two away and that will bring up the ever powerful LJ Jones. As we mentioned, former Springfield Cardinal, a guy that has hit the ball hard ever since he’s been here. And we’ll see if he can try to keep this inning alive. D Santos comes set. Meno not really a stolen base threat. That one’s hit directly up the middle, but just a little bit too hard as that one is brought in by Cole Brennan. And Otter get a couple of runners on, but no one scores as this game will stay tied. As we head to the top of the second, Catalyst Church Food Pantry is honored to be the nonprofit partner of Friday, May 23rd’s Otter Game. Catalyst Church invites the community, but also the churches from the tri-state to come and unite at one game as one church around one cause. Catalyst Church invites each person to bring at least one, if not more, non-p perishable food item for their food pantry to continue helping the Evansville community. A great night of baseball is planned and postgame fireworks are just part of the fun. More information can be found on Catalyst Church Evansville’s Facebook page. Right now in Vanderberg County, over 800 children are in the child welfare system waiting for someone to be their voice. And you could be that voice by becoming a court-appointed special advocate, a CASA volunteer. Donating just a few hours a month of your time can change a child’s life forever. Vanderberg County CASA invites you to join them. Stand up, speak out, be for the child, be a CASA. For more information, visit vandcasa.com. That’s van ddcasa.com. Back into historic bossy field as we get set for the top of the second. DJ Stewart will lead us off here for the Grizzlies as they try to find a way to get to Parker Brahms. He had a perfect one, two, three inning in the last inning as he will try to keep this Grizzlies offense off the board. Bombs did a good job of inducing early count contact in that top half of the first. We talked a little bit about how these Gary Grizzlies, they want to work his pitch count, but in that first inning, he did such a good job of making pitches that aren’t so hitable look hitable. So, we’ll see if he can continue to work to contact with success throughout this ball game. And as we get set, a reminder, we have two seven inning games today. And so that will put a little bit lighter of a load on these bullpens. But again, best case scenario really is five innings out of these pitchers. So you’re going to get heavy usage after, like I said, both these teams used their bullpin somewhat heavily last night’s game. As Stewart comes to plate, he was two for four last night. Looks to try to continue to pound on these Otter pitchers. First pitch from Brahms is fouled off towards the third baseman. So count will quickly go to 0 and one. It’s the third season with the Grizzlies for DJ Stewart. Last year at a 3-10 average of 13 home runs is a guy that is very likely to steal bases if he can get on. So especially to lead off this inning, you want to keep him off the base at all cost. Second pitch, that one is fouled off to the right side. So quickly up 0 and2 for Parker Bronze and you mentioned it quickly getting strikes, attacking these batters, doing a great job attacking the zone. Here comes the O2 pitch. That one taken just high. He checks a swing and did not go. So count moves to one and two. And that was only the second ball pitched by Bronze. Every other pitch has been a strike. So, like I said, pounding the zone here and see if he can keep at it with this one two pitch taken low and away for ball two. So, once again, a battle here from a Grizzly. This one being DJ Stewart. Stewart did walk in yesterday’s game. Also had a strikeout. Two pitch. That one hit hard towards a shortstop. Kimo throw over to first will be in time for out number one and Brahms four up four down to start this ball game. I really like that pitch sequence there from Brahms getting ahead of O2 going up and with the fast ball then down and away and right back in there with the fast stuff to get a roll over to Kimo who easily took care of it for out number one. Yeah, Kimo who we saw at second base last night playing short today and did a great job with his first opportunity. So with one away, that will bring up Victor Castillo. One of the few Grizzlies who did not get a hit last night, went 0 for three, but did get a walk. First pitch from Brahms taken in there for strike number one. And Brahms once again getting ahead in the count. It’s a big thing. Love to see it from him. Get ahead in these counts. Don’t be behind. That one fouled off quickly. 0 and2. Get behind. forced to make a pitch that allows a hitter to to really look for what they want. If you can get ahead early, obviously able to do some more stuff and try to get them chasing. Here comes the 16th pitch of the game for Brahms. That one taken outside for ball one. Victor Castillo did a good job not chasing. Middle infielders playing Castillo Pool, but still over near the third base line is Gil. Interesting defensive setup on the infield for the Otter. And Castillo in his second season with the Grizzlies. He takes the next pitch for ball two. So count moves to two and two once again. Played in just 21 games for the Grizzlies. Had been traded got traded early in the season, got traded back for himself. That one taken high. So count moves to three and two. Feel like you see that a lot here. the front two week players getting trading for a player to be named later and all of a sudden that player to be named later is themselves going back to their old squad. Count is full here to Castile. Here comes that full count pitch. That one is foul tip just back. So countless Castillo will stay alive as he continues the battle. Brahms come says he tries to attack Castillo. 3-2 pitch taken just high for ball four. So the first base runner against Brahms will be Victor Castillo. And that will bring Dale Thomas up to the plate. This is where you want Brahms to keep his confidence level high. He set down the first four he faced. Still throwing strikes. Just try to get a little too cute with it there against Castillo. Hopefully he comes back to Thomas and just attacks. And quick check over at Castillo at first. Castillo 18 for 22 on stolen base attempts last year. A guy that is very liable to try and steal. And with one away here, trying to just push Brahms. Would not be a shock if you see him go. Here comes Braum’s first pitch. That one taken just low for ball one. Camo shifted just a little bit towards shortstop ready for the potential steel attempt or double play. Brahms come set. Here comes the one pitch. Castillo will take off. Throw over second will be in time and he gets the tag for route number one. Route number two rather. And another caught sto Steeler in these first couple of innings. So there is now two away and count will be at two and two as that one was just called a ball. So great first sight there for conbakes behind the plate. Here comes the two pitch from Brahms. That one taken at the hands inside for ball three. So a three and0 count here. Not something we’ve really seen Brahms in all that much today. Obviously just walked the last batter after a long battle. Dale Thomas. Dale Thomas waits on the three-0 pitch. That one is taken in there on the corner for strike number one. That C stealing was huge for Will Banks. We questioned if he’s able to defend at the professional level early earlier in the pregame showed right there why he thinks he should have a starting spot. 3-1 pitch. Hefty swing from Dale Thomas there. He misses and her count will be full. And obviously it’s a huge out for the Otter keeping a runner out of scoring position. You’re getting the second out of the inning now. A great opportunity here for Brahms to get out of this inning once again with still the minimum faced. Here comes a 30 3-2 pitch. And that one is fouled back. That overhead foul ball is brought to you by Heads Construction. Choose the best. Never forget it. Don’t Don’t worry. I never regret it. So once again, Brahms will come set with the count full and two away. You’re in the top of the second. That pitch fouled back once again. So great battle here from Tail Dom. Just working the count here at Brahms. This will be his 28th pitch of the game so far as Brahms will come set. 3-2 coming to the plate and taken there for strike number three. a German American bake strikeout as that will keep the Grizzlies off the board for the top of the second. And when we come back, it’ll be JT Benson to lead us off for the arts. Ballet Indiana is made up of local ballet professionals, dedicated parents, and community members in order to provide unique and lifeenriching experiences for hundreds of young dancers while carrying out their mission to inspire a lifelong appreciation for dance for both our dancers and the Evansville community. More information on Ballet Indiana and information about their upcoming performances is available at ballet Indiana.org. Maintaining our independence becomes more and more vital as we age. Swarka and more can help you navigate this important journey by answering your questions and connecting you to free and unbiased community resources and support services. If you are seeking advice for yourself or a loved one, let Swa be your first call. More information available at swarka.org or by calling 812-464-7800. Ballet Indiana is made up of local ballet professionals, dedicated parents, and community members in order to provide unique and lifeenriching experiences for hundreds of young dancers while carrying out their mission to inspire a lifelong appreciation for dance for both our dancers and the Evansville community. More information on Ballet Indiana and information about their upcoming performances is available at balletindian.org. Welcome back to beautiful Bossy Field as our game stays tied at zero. The Otter come to the plate trying to break through here in the bottom of the second. We mentioned leading it off for the Otter will be JT Benson. The newest Evansville Otter, a guy that came in just yesterday, played in his first game, went one for four, did strike out, but the big thing we really saw from him is he played a really, really good defensive outfield. And if he can do that, as well as be the speedy guy who gets on base, that’ll be huge for this Otter squad. Absolutely. especially with the spotting outfield that they had last year. If someone can come in from a trade acquisition and go out there and play a great defensive outfield like he’s been doing, then that is huge for the stability of this other squad. As Benson gets set, played his college baseball as he takes the first pitch in there for strike number one. played his college baseball with Louisville, which was in his hometown city of Louisville, Kentucky. Next pitch to JT Benson, taken outside for ball one. So count moves to one and one. Also played last year for the Lake Country Rockhounds of the American Association where he had a 385 on base percentage. Went 9 for 12 in stolen bases. Next pitch to Benson. He checks his swing. Did not go as that one’s out of the strike zone. So count will move to two and one. Dlo Santos coming in for his second inning of work. Wind up and the pitch taken outside. So now three and one. It’ll be his 19th pitch or of the game and also his 10th ball. So, a little bit of command issue so far of De Los Santos and the Honors doing a great job being patient and waiting for their pitch. Here comes the 3-1 pitch and Vincent will take that for ball four. So, the speedy Vincent will get on base to start the inning and give a great opportunity for this Otter squad. Otter did try to steal with Kimo got caught, but Benson a bit of a better base steward and more used to stealing bases than Camo has been in the past. So, we’ll see if Andy McCalli still decides to send Vincent even though Alvarez has already caught a base runner and tried to steal. Yeah, Benson 51 of 61 stolen base attempts with Louisville. So, a guy with a lot of speed at first pitch to the second baseman today, JJ Cruz. He takes that one for ball one. Cruz went one for three last night with a double and also struck out. second game in a row that he’s on or in the lineup as that one’s taken for strike one. Deos Santos just trying to make sure he can find the zone here and make the Otter put the ball in play after giving up his second walk. Next Mr. Cruz swinging and fouled back. So count will move to one and two now. JJ Cruz spent about half the season with the Otter last year. He got 68 at bats with them. And Vincent takes off. Strike three swinging. Throw the second is in time and the tag is there. So another strike him out, throw them out and quickly two away for the Grizzlies once again. batting seven, the third base. That’s just so frustrating. You get two straight innings with a leadoff base on and on a hit and run attempt the batter strikes out and a perfect throw from Alvarez. Nothing taken away from him. He’s made two phenomenal throws, but he just it’s frustrating for Evansville to say the least. And that will bring up the third baseman, Ray Gills. He takes the first pitch high and away for ball one. Gail, we mentioned in the pregame, a lot of pop in that bat in 877 at bats for the Pioneer League in the last three seasons, 49 home runs. That pitch taken in at the outside corner for strike one. He also had a 498 flag percentage in those three seasons out of Miami, Florida. Played four seasons with Miami in college. That next pitch taken high, so count moves to two and one. De Los Santos. So far, a couple of walks given up a hit, but overall the bases have stayed fairly clean after a couple of caught stealing, but from the Otter. And next pitch from Gail. Swung on, tipped for strike two. So count will move to two and two now for Ray Gil. Gill is 25 mentioned spent spent times in Miami. Also played his final season with Jacksonville and two pitch. That one is fouled off. So great battle here from Gil. That one at 87 for Glo Santos. So just a little bit off speed from about 92 93 to 87. Just enough to keep the batters honest. Two two pitch taken just high for ball three. So count moves fool. So once again another great battle from an otter hitter. 30 total pitches for Deos Santos. Split 15 to 15 in strikes and balls. Here comes 3-2 pitch. That one is chopped but looks like it will go foul. So, another great battle. Ray Gil did not play in yesterday’s game, but a guy that the Otterers expect a lot out of after his three great seasons in the Pioneer League last year. Here comes the payoff pitch once again. That one fouled off. And like I said, just a great battle from here from Gil even with two away. Absolutely. And that’s what you want to see from a guy like this who had a decent spring. Didn’t get the start yesterday, but coming in first start of the year and battling. Here comes a 3-2 pitch. That one fouled off towards the right field line and it will hook out of play before Castile can get to it. So we’ll have once again another full count pitch. We mentioned getting that pitch count up. Already 33 pitches for D Santos. They’re two and two/3. Next pitch taken inside for ball four. So another walk for the Otter. Their third of the game. And that will keep the inning alive. Johnny Bringing up Cohen Willbanks, the 24 24 year old out of Taylor’sville, Georgia, fresh off three seasons in the NIA where he had a 369 467 565 slash line. First pitch taking taken away from ball one. One of the things that I have noticed within his stats and within his preseason likes to swing the bat. So that taken outside for ball too. If you give him an opportunity to hit the ball, he’s going to go for it. I would be surprised if he even gets some DH reps later on in the season. You fairly shallow bench for the Otter overall, at least currently. That one taken in there for strike one. off the bench. Obviously, guys like Khalil and Pave Parks saw yesterday, Mason White also on the bench, Justin Felix as well as the backup catcher. Two-1 pitch taken in there for strike two. And you mentioned with Felix being that really, really good pitch caller and great defensive catcher, if Cole Wilbanks makes it known that he needs to get at bats, he’ll get a bat somewhere, whether it’s DH or at catcher. Count two and two. Here comes the pitch taken low and in. So another full count and that will allow Ray Gill to get a head start. When you throw as many pitches as Dlo Santos does early in the season, it might not have the fuel for every single one of them, but you still want to work in every single one of them. So maybe this one just more of he’s throwing too much. 3-2 pitch hit towards the right side of the field, but will hook foul. count will stay full. You mentioned Gil getting that head start. Rob Banks did hit a lot of home runs in college. Only three of them at 254 at bats, but did have 33 doubles. So, a guy who’s really, really good at finding the gaps within the defense. You see there’s space between each of those outfielders as well, as well as a big hold down that third base line. Payoff pitch taken for ball four. So, a fourth walk here in the first couple of innings for Deos Santos. walk cafe and that will lead to the number nine hitter Keenan Taylor getting an opportunity. Not before we get a mountain visit from the Grizzlies. How big does that cost stealing look now? That strike him out, throw him out, double play. Yeah, it’s one of those things where you where you risk those stolen bases, but a guy with JT Benson’s type of track record, you expect him to be able to get more than he gets caught. So, but yeah, an unfortunate turn of events as we have a quick visit on the mound. Keenan Taylor will come to the plate. 23-year-old out of Westfield, Indiana. Currently 0 and one in the series. Got a pinching opportunity last night. Spent three seasons in college between Butler and Purdue. Spent had 40 at bats last year with the Morehead City Marlins. He’s played pretty much everywhere you would expect. And now here he comes with two on and two away. Takes the first pitch up in his own. Ray Gil and Conbanks both getting on via the walk. And now Keenan Taylor takes that first pitch for a ball. Once again, some command issues here for Dale Santos early. That one is in there for strike one. Took a little bit off of it. Count will move to one and one now. mentioned the time for Morehead City Marlins last year. Again, only 48 bats, but at a 375, 444, and a 575 slash line with them. That one is popped up towards the right side of the field. Ross Frederick will make his way over, but it will get out of play. So, Keenan Taylor will go back to the plate with a one-tw count. Dale Santos just pitched his 44th pitch of the game here early. He will come set with a one-two count. Here comes the pitch. That one fouled back. Great tip there from Keenan Teller to stay alive. Went right off the catcher’s mask. He steps out a little bit. Jose Alvarez obviously a couple of huge throws to get a couple of fat feelings. Looks like he’ll be all right though. Homeplay umpire Jordan Alfonso immediately recognizing what’s going on. Giving him some time by going and delivering the baseball to Deos Santos personally goods will always give you time when you need him especially when stuff like that happens. I feel like and catchers can relate a lot with getting hit in the mask. One, two count here for Keenan Taylor. Next pitch, that one is ripped down the left field line. It’s going to get down for a base hit. One run will come to score around second and heading towards third as well. Here’s Nugi waved in for no throw to the players. It’s Bobby Woody. Two runs coming to score for the Evansville as they jump out ahead early. Keenan Taylor making Santos pay for those walks. And the Otter with a early early lead, something we wanted to see them do, especially against a team like the Grizzlies. And right there, Demon Taylor saw two fast balls right before that pitch, got an off speed, and took advantage. 102 on the ball, ripped it down the left field line, doing exactly what you need to do with an inside breaker. And now it doesn’t get any easier as a Camo comes back to the plate. That first pitch taken high and away. He went two for five in last night’s game. Already gotten on base once by a hit by pitch today. Next pitch to Kimo. Taken there for a strike. Kimo, one of the two players get caught stealing. Got caught stealing in the first inning. Scored a run as well yesterday. Like I said, hit the ball really hard in the preseason. Here comes the 1-1 pitch. That one is fouled back. Count moves to one and two now. The Otter’s done a great job battling so far. See if Kimo sticks with that. Kimo back into the box. De Los Santos comes set. Here comes the pitch. That one is ripped hard to center field, but camping under it is Cole Brennan as he will get the Grizzlies out of the inning, but not before. for the Otter score two as they take the early lead. Brahms back on the mound and we come back from this short break. Fish. Maintaining our independence becomes more and more vital as we age. Swarka and more can help you navigate this important journey by answering your questions and connecting you to free and unbiased community resources and support services. If you are seeking advice for yourself or a loved one, let Swa be your first call. More information available at swarka.org or or by calling 812-464-7800. Originally opening in 2004, Jacob’s Village has been a home for adults with disabilities, giving these great residents a wonderful opportunity to live life just like you and me. Jacob’s Village mission is to continue building a safe, walkable neighborhood community where people with disabilities and older adults can find meaningful relationships, affordable and accessible housing, and activities to keep their bodies and minds engaged. We can’t wait to have Jacob’s Village at the ballpark on July 3rd for our annual Red, White, and Blue Night. More information on this great community partner is available at jacobsvillage.org. Welcome back here to Evansville, Indiana as the Otter have taken a two to nothing lead as we head to the top of the third. Parker Brahms back on the mound so far in this ball game doing a great job. Two innings pitched, no hits given up. Did give up a walk. Also has a strikeout, but he’s faced the minimum so far after a great caught stealing from Convix. and the offense scoring early for him is only going to put him even more in that rhythm state that we’ve been talking about all game so far. Evans after last night needed to come out here and prove to just they’re not just going to lay down after something like that happened to them. So getting two on the board early is big for Evansville. Yeah, we mentioned wanting to make those runners count. did a great job hitting in a big situation to Keenan Taylor. And leading it off for the Grizzlies here is Ross Frederick Friedrich who had a huge home run in the bottom of the ninth to get the Grizzlies started before they ultimately came back and won that game. He steps into the plate. Brahms will come set pitching from the stretch. First pitch taken outside for ball one. Friedrich in that game had a walk. Now the two RBI home run. Also struck out once. A guy that doesn’t hit a ton of home runs. And that one’s taken inside for ball too. At least he hasn’t in pro ball, but man did he hit that one hard and far. Yeah. 422 feet, 108 miles per hour off the bat last night. Now once again, the Grizzlies in a hole early in the ball game. Friedrich takes a swing at a pitch in the dirt. Great nasty pitch from Brahms. Dropped it down to 82. Brahms obviously feeling it right now. That one taken high. So three and one here to Friedri as he just tries to work a count, try to get a runner on. The Otter missing the playoffs for the first time since 2021 last year. Look to try to rebound this year. That one swung and fouled off by Friedrich. Count will move fool. That was their first losing season since 2012. So obviously just a rough season. Dele injuries, some players getting called up and overall just some inconsistencies. But this team obviously has a lot of talent, especially on the offensive end, and a lot of veterans at least within the starting rotation. 3-2 pitch to Friedrich is lifted high deep to right field but it will hook out of play so count will stay full. When you have the combination of a veteran starting rotation along with some young exciting guys in the offense it spells hopefully some success for the Otter here in 2025. Brahms is set. Here comes the 3-2 pitch. That one is ripped right through the shortstop in third baseman and a base hit for Friedri to get the Grizzlies started as they get their first hit of the ball game. Just went inside out on that top shelf fast ball there. And with Brahms only throwing high 80s, maybe touching low 90s when they get he gets into mid-season form. You’re going to see a lot of guys try and do that. Go inside out, force it the opposite way, especially lefties. And that will bring Cole Brandon to the plate who went one for three last night. First pitch to Brandon. That one is hit high as the third baseman Gil will try to track it but it’s Will Banks who will get under it as he brings it in for out number one. So a quick out after that hit. Huge comeback there from Bronze. And that will bring up the number nine hitter for the Grizzlies. Jose Alvarez already made some pretty big impact in this game with a couple of caught steelings. See what he can do with his bat here at the nine hole. Friedick leads off first. Brahms will come set. Here comes the first pitch. It’s a square around a bunt situation but fouls off down the third third base line. So quickly behind 0 and one. You mentioned this was the first time the Otterers missed the playoffs since 2021. They missed the playoffs in 2021 with 57 wins. So it was not like they didn’t play good ball that year. The other time that the last time they miss the playoffs before that was 2014. So this has been a team with a lot of high expectations and you expect those to come back this year. And next pitch Alvarez taken high for ball one. Count moves to one and one now. And manager Andy McCauley not used to losing in the frontier league at all. We know for a fact that he came into this year knowing he needed to retool. I think he’s done a pretty good job at that. Here comes the 1-1 pitch. That one is taken low for ball two as Brahms continues to work. Again, this is the kind of outing you really really wanted to see from Brahms. See if he can keep it up. He’ll come set 2-1 pitch taken high again for ball three. So now three and one. Brahms losing a little bit of his control that he had earlier in the game. Just doesn’t seem to really have a lot of movement or really a feel for that slider right now. Quick over back over to first. Friedrich back with plenty of time. Yeah, Brahms did a great job pumping the strike zone earlier in the game, but the Grizzlies doing a pretty good job kind of waiting on pitches they don’t like. Alvarez pops that one back overhead. That’s an overhead foul ball brought to you by Hedge Construction. Choose the best and never regret it. Never regret it. With that foul ball, count will move full. Alvarez will take time to compose himself here with one away. Count full. Friedrich at first. Not exactly a guy who will steal tons of bases, but we’ll see if they maybe want to move him here with a 3-2 count. It’s a very short lead for Friedrich over at first. Here comes a 3-2 pitch. That hit over the first baseline. Throw to second in time for out number one. Throw back to first is not in time. Beaten out there by Alvarez. So Otter get one. They get the lead runner but don’t get the second. to count the they’ll get their second out of the inning. That will bring up the lead offer. Man, that 363 double play so tough to turn, especially if you’re LDA Jones over there, you spend most of your time in the past in the Alio, especially in the Cardinal system. And being thrown at first base, yes, he can play good third base defensively, but that 363 just one of the toughest plays in baseball. mentioned Shaolinburgger back to the plate. Just an absolute stud at getting on base, waiting for his pitch. First pitch to him, take low and away. Did pop out on a first pitch fast ball. Mentioned getting him to pop out early in the count. Ideally, you wanted to get him to swing early at pitches that he doesn’t like because he keeps spitting on him. Eventually, we’ll get one. Quick check over at Alvarez, but back with plenty of time. We’ll see what Sha Mer can do here with two away, runner on first. Alvarez with a little bit of a lead there. That one popped up towards left field though play. So count will move back to one and one now. Shalloner out of St. Lewis played five years at the University of Evansville right here in our own hometown where he was elite. Did a was a huge part of that Evansville team that made the super regional last year and now is getting opportunity to play some professional ball here close to his hometown here in Gateway. One-1 pitch to him now taking high and away for ball two. He was the number two ranked first baseman in Missouri by perfect game. Ended up a second team all-American in his graduate senior year. Check over first in with plenty of time. He’s a guy that didn’t get scouted a lot out of high school. Came to U. Started as a walk-on. ended up earning that scholarship by the time he got to his junior year. Two on Fisher Shenburgger taken just high for ball three. So count moved to three and one now. Like I said does a great job with the strike zone and that one was just a bit high as well. So here comes three on pitch. Alvarez will take off. That one is ball four anyways. So Shaonburgger will get on via the walk. His second so far on the year as he had one last night. And that will bring up the number two hitter Callen Halverson. Second baseman 22 Halverson. Alverson 0 for one so far in today’s ball game. Brahms will come set. Runners on first and second with two away. That one popped up. LJ Jones giving chase on it and will get under for out number three. So two out rally goes for not as Bombs gets out of it and the Otter maintain their two nothing lead. We’ll be right back here on the Otter Digital Network. For the last 5 years, the Evansville African-American Museum and the Evansville Otterers have partnered together to offer tickets at no cost for the whole family for the Junth Negro Leagues baseball tribute. All are invited to celebrate Junth with us on June 19th for the annual Salute to the Negro Leagues game. Pregame activities start at 4:30 with first pitch scheduled for 505. For information on these tickets, fans can stop by the Evansville African-American Museum at 579 Sandre Matthews Way in Evansville or any local Evansville Vanderberg Public Library. Catalyst Church Food Pantry is honored to be the nonprofit partner of Friday, May 23rd’s Otter Game. Catalyst Church invites the community, but also the churches from the tri-state to come and unite as one game as one church around one cause. Catalyst Church invites each person to bring at least one, if not more, non-p perishable food item for their food pantry to continue helping the Evansville community. A great night of baseball is planned and postgame fireworks are just part of the fun. More information can be found on Catalyst Church Evansville’s Facebook page. Graham Brown gets us underway here in Evansville, Indiana, as he will come to the plate after striking out in his first at bat. The Otter is trying to extend their lead after getting two in the bottom of the second. They’ll try to get some more here in the bottom of the third. As I mentioned, Graham Brown will lead us off. Then we’ll have David Mendum who got a base hit. And then LJ Jones, we got a bad luck third out of the last inning. Deos Santos so far has dealt with some control issues on the mound. Has worked around it in the first, got bit by it in the second after a walking two with two outs and a two out two run double from Keenan Taylor. Hopefully for him he can try and dial it in here. Again, when you throw as many pitches as he does, sometimes it takes a couple of starts to really get all of them feeling good. Already 48 pitches through the first couple of innings for him. That first pitch swung on a miss from Graham Brown for strike number one. And we’ll see, like I said, if the Otter can add some damage to that after they got a couple in the last inning. Next pitch to Brown. That one is fouled back overhead. Count will quickly move to 0 and two. Graham Brown has a little bit of a get together with some former teammates. Dale Thomas and Tanner Garrison, both former teammates of his. He strikes out once again. Three pitches is all Dale Los Santos needs to get Graham Brown there for a quick out number one. Yeah, tough at bat there. So, a breaker, fast ball, and then another breaker. So, and each of them got a little bit further out of the strike zone. The first one just looked dead. Second one was on it. It spout over the head and that one dipped so down below the zone, but looked too good out of the hand missed. And that will bring up David Mendum to the plate. First pitch to him taken way outside for ball one. Got a base hit in his first at bat with two away. see if he can try to get something going here for the Otter again with only one away. Shifted a little bit to the right on the infield for Mum. Next pitch taken outside again for ball two. Giving him those outside pitches if he can just poke it into the left field. There’s a big hole between third the third baseman and the third base line. Next pitch to Mum. Take it in there for strike number one. Menum 25 out of Ontario Canada played three seasons in college. The final two with Oklahoma State. Next pitch taken for a ball count was a three and one. Spent the 2023 season with Ottawa. However, he didn’t get too many opportunities, but last year with the Otter obviously found his stride, was able to get on base a lot for this team. hit 21 doubles and a couple of triples. And if he can be be something similar this year, it’s a huge piece of this Otter offense. He takes that pitch outside for ball four. So, and one out walk for the Otter will set up LJ Jones with a runner on first. That’s four walks for Deo Santos just in the past two innings alone. So, he really has to dial it in here if he wants to get into that fifth inning at this point. And LJ Jones hit the ball in the head in his first at bat but right to the center fielder. That pitch taken low for ball one if only one away. Chance to just so many dangerous bats in a row. A great chance here for the Otter to continue to try to pile on this lead. And that one swung on miss for strike one as D Santos continues to try and find his command in this one. We mentioned Dale Santos had a 342 RA last year, but only four starts. So maybe this is just putting him in a different spot than he’s used to. That pitch taken in there for strike two. So quickly behind in the count is LJ Jones one and two. Jones will take time as he clears his head a little bit trying to get at bat here. That last pitch at 91. So D Santos still pumping gas so far. Jones will come set and here comes the one-two pitch. That one hit towards the third baseman. Throw to first for one over to first. Not in time. So they get the out at second, but do not get LJ Jones running to first. So they get their second out of the inning. And that will bring up the right fielder JT Benson. Try to keep this inning alive. That was a tough play over there at third by Stewart. Stewart ranging over towards the third base bag with the backhand falling away as he threw over to second. So couldn’t quite get as much juice as he wanted to on that to be able to turn two. First P Benson swingy miss for strike one. M JT Benson very speedy outfielder and quickly behind Owen after another swinging strike. and he’ll call time once again to try to adjust his approach after going down quickly 0 and two. Vincent so far this season, like I said, great defensive outfielder. We’ll see what he can do with the bat. That one is taken low and away from ball one. Vincent walked in his first atbat but got caught stealing trying to steal second. Here comes the one-two pitch. That one is ripped hard but foul towards the third baseline. Some pop off that bat but in the complete wrong direction. LJ Jones leads off first. Here comes one-two pitch. That one hit just over third baseman’s head. And Jones will round second. He’ll head towards third as Benson will head towards second. Throw will hold the runners at second and third, but a Benson double will put the Otter in a huge scoring position with JJ Cruz coming up to play. Second baseman number 17, JJ Cruz. JJ Cruz struck out in his first atbat for the Otter. Like I said, yesterday had a double. So, he’s one for four on the season with a couple of strikeouts. First pitch taken in for ball one. LJ Jones got on by Fielder Choice. He’s at third. JT Benson with that double and the Otter all of a sudden with a huge opportunity here in the bottom of the third to keep piling on. This be a huge moment for him. Here comes the one pitch from Benson as that one is hit high but not very deep towards the right field. Moving over not able to make a play as that one gets out of bounds. So count will be one to one. JJ JJ Cruz last year with the Otter had a home run, a couple of doubles, went 250 with in 68 at bats for them. before that spent time with Hope International College in the NIA where he at 391 with 23 home runs. Next pitch swung on a miss. So count moves to one and two. So he has some pop in that bat. We’ve seen it so far, but right now just trying to get a single or better to score a couple of runs. You with that speedy runner at second and JT Benson, a single will almost definitely score two. Here comes the one-two pitch from Dale Santos. Swung on and missed for strike three. And the Grizzlies get out of the inning unharmed as the Otter can’t push across a run. We’ll be back after this short break. Catalyst Church Food Pantry is honored to be the nonprofit partner of Friday, May 23rd’s Otter Game. Catalyst Church invites the community, but also the churches from the tri-state to come and unite as one game as one church around one cause. Catalyst Church invites each person to bring at least one, if not more, non-p perishable food item for their food pantry to continue helping the Evansville community. A great night of baseball is planned and postgame fireworks are just part of the fun. More information can be found on Catalyst Church Evansville’s Facebook page. Right now in Vanderberg County, over 800 children are in the child welfare system waiting for someone to be their voice. And you could be that voice by becoming a court-appointed special advocate, a CASA volunteer. Donating just a few hours a month of your time can change a child’s life forever. Vanderberg County CASA invites you to join them. Stand up, speak out, be for the child, be a CASA. For more information, visit vanscasa.com. That’s van dcasa.com. Ballet Indiana is made up of local ballet professionals, dedicated parents, and community members in order to provide unique and lifeenriching experiences for hundreds of young dancers while carrying out their mission to inspire a lifelong appreciation for dance for both our dancers and the Evansville community. More information on Ballet Indiana and information about their upcoming performances is available at balletindian.org. Maintaining our independence becomes more and more vital as we age. Swarka and More can help you navigate this important journey by answering your questions and connecting you to free and unbiased community resources and support services. If you are seeking advice for yourself or a loved one, let Swa be your first call. More information available at swarka.org or by calling 812-464-7800. afterward. Back here in Evansville where Parker Brahms once again will take the mound after pitching through three innings so far, giving up no runs. He will face Paxton Wallace, DJ Stewart, and Victor Castillo coming up. So far, the Grizzlies one hit, no runs, no errors. The Otter have two runs on three hits on four walks and a hit by batter, hit by pitch. mentioned Paxton Wallace coming to the plate playing DH today after playing at second yesterday. Paxton Wallace was with Shamberg in 2024 where he hit 233 with a 310 on base percentage and two home runs. He played one year in the Kansas City Royals organization. So he has former minor league experience. First pitch to him out in front of that curveball for strike one at 70 mph. Dropping that even lower. That might have been the best off speed pitch that Brahms has thrown so far tonight. Next pitch from Brahms. He goes quick fouled off toward the first baseman. So quickly behind 0 and2 is Brahms pumping the zone once again. And this is where he’s at his best when he is just pumping the zone with strikes. Beautiful pitches. Saw that with an off speed pitch there. Quicker in on the hands. Here comes the O2 pitch. Check swing hit towards the first baseline, but it will go foul. So Paxton Wallace stays alive. Walls, the 26-y old, had a big hit in last night’s game in his fifth pro ball season, his first season here with the Grizzlies, however. And once again, the O2 pitch taken high for ball one. He’s been all around the Frontier League. Obviously with Shawnberg last year, was in Joliet in 2022, now with the Grizzlies here in 2025. Nest pitch. Great job fouling it off just back. Sticking at the count at one and two. Just trying to make Brahms work as much as he can. These starters for Evansville so far have been really, really good on the season. Brahms come set from the stretch. Here comes the one-two pitch. That one hit right up the middle. Brahms will snag it with ease. He’ll toss it over to first for out number one. So, one away on a great play on a comebacker there for Parker Brahms. Orange just skipped right up into his glove. Seemed like he had a DJ Stewart, oh, look what I found type of move. Glove was right there. Bounced right into it. Easy underhand toss to Jen. Stout number one. So, after getting that out, we’ll have DJ Stewart come to the plate as he swings at that one for strike one. Quickly ahead 1 and0. Brahms last year pitched 94 innings as that one is fouled off from DJ Stewart. Quickly behind 0 and2 pitched 94 innings last year for the Otter. Started in 17 of his 18 appearances. Had a 71 strikeout to 39 walk season. He’s a guy that you really want to see step up this year for this Otter squad. 02 pitch taken high for ball one. Count moves to one and two. Brahms 27 out of Sacramento, California. Like I mentioned earlier, played four years collegiately at Sacramento State. Here comes the one-two pitch. That one is hit really high towards the right side of the field. JJ Cruz will get under for out number two. So there is now two away here in the top of the fourth inning. And this is that rhythm state that we talked about for Parker Brahms. Had a little bit of trouble in that second inning and in the be in the latter half of the third. But when he’s going well, he induces weak contact and he just works super quickly and a guy that doesn’t strike out a lot of batters. So having that good defense behind him is super important. We’ve seen some pretty good defense here for the Otter. That one is ripped from Victor Castillo deep to center. Graham Brown will get under it for out number three. So a quick one, two, three inning for Parker Brahms as the Otter maintain their two to nothing lead. We’ll be back after this short break on Otter’s Digital Network. Originally opening in 2004, Jacob’s Village has been a home for adults with disabilities, giving these great residents a wonderful opportunity to live life just like you and me. Jacob’s Village mission is to continue building a safe, walkable neighborhood community where people with disabilities and older adults can find meaningful relationships, affordable and accessible housing, and activities to keep their bodies and minds engaged. We can’t wait to have Jacob’s Village at the ballpark on July 3rd for our annual Red, White, and Blue Night. More information on this great community partner is available at jacobsvillage.org. For the last five years, the Evansville African-American Museum and the Evansville Otterers have partnered together to offer tickets at no cost for the whole family for the Junth Negro Leagues baseball tribute. All are invited to celebrate Junth with us on June 19th for the annual Salute to the Negro Leagues game. Pregame activities start at 4:30 with first pitch scheduled for 505. For information on these tickets, fans can stop by the Evansville African-American Museum at 579 Sandre Matthews Way in Evansville or any local Evansville Vanderberg Public Library. Catalyst Church Food Pantry is honored to be the nonprofit partner of Friday, May 23rd’s Otter Game. Catalyst Church invites the community, but also the churches from the tri-state to come and unite at one game as one church around one cause. Catalyst Church invites each person to bring at least one, if not more, non-p perishable food item for their food pantry to continue helping the Evansville community. A great night of baseball is planned and postgame fireworks are just part of the fun. More information can be found on Catalyst Church Evansville’s Facebook page. Here back at Rossy Fields, we have a new pitcher for the Gateway Grizzlies. It is Donovan Burke, the left-hander out of James Madison University. Burke pitching hose Alvarez catching and this pitcher battery. This pitcher and catcher battery is sponsored by the Answer Auto Repair East. Find your battery needs at the Answer Auto Repair East located at 23 2319 North Green River Road or call 8124759000. Donovan Burke, as I mentioned, fresh off playing five years for James Madden univer Madison University where he joined as a walk-on and tore his UCL in the second start of the year in 2022. And he is here with Gateway trying to put himself give himself a spot here. That first pitch for fouled off for the third baseman Ray Gil as he steps in to bat. Gil walked earlier in this game and his first game of the season. Burke will come set and the pitch taken low. So count moves to one and one. Donovan Burke expect to see a fast ball slider and change up around an 88 to 90 mile per hour fast ball. Like I said, his first season in playing pro ball here with the Gateway Grizzlies. Here comes the 1-1 pitch. Swung on a missed for strike two. Burke starts in the windup. Kind of comes to the strats, but ends up pitching. Looks like Ray Gill being played fairly straight up. Burke comes set. Here comes the one-two pitch. That one is taken outside for ball two. Count move to two and two. Otter is doing a great job at getting on base, but only two runs to show for two runs on three hits and four walks. Here comes the two two pitch. That one is hit towards the left side of the field. Great play by the third baseman Stewart. Throw over to first in time. Stewart with the play, running to his left, throwing across his body and making the throw for out number one. And that will bring up the catcher Cohen Wilings. Will Banks. Will Banks walked and scored in his first at bat just like Ray Gil did. We’ll see what he can do here trying to get the Otter going. First pitch from Burke taken in there for strike number one. Beautiful pitch. Just hit the inside part of the plate. Next pitch from Burke and Cohen Wilbanks will square on the butt but doesn’t get contact. So count will quickly move to 0 and two. Burke not a guy that’s going to wow you strike out stuff but he does a really good job at not walking batters and inducing some weak contact. See we’ll come set. Here comes the 02 pitch. That one taken low for ball one. Will Banks in his second at bat of the game. Second at bat of the season. Comes the one-two pitch taken in the dirt for ball two. So count moved to two and two now. Burke was on his way to having a fantastic year. Had a .082 RA in 11 innings before he tore his UCL in his first start of 2022. That one taken now for ball three. So great battle here from Will Banks bringing the count back to full. Burke will come set and here comes the payoff pitch. 3-2, excuse me, swing there for Will Banks as that one is taken for out number two. And that will lead up to Keenan Taylor who has the big two-run double from earlier in the game. That was the first fast ball really that Will Banks saw. He saw one at 89 mph, but not a ton of movement in that one. finally touched 90 and just didn’t look like he was expecting an inside fast ball there at all. He was way behind that one. So, first pitch to Keenan Taylor hit towards third baseman Stewart. Throw to first will be in time for out number three as the as Donovan Burke does a great job for the Grizzlies keeping the Otter off the board as we head to the top of the fifth inning. And when we come back, the Otter will come or the Grizzlies will have Thomas to lead us. It’s not just built. Right now in Vanderberg County, over 800 children are in the child welfare system waiting for someone to be their voice. And you could be that voice by becoming a court-appointed special advocate, a CASA volunteer. Donating just a few hours a month of your time can change a child’s life forever. Vanderberg County CASA invites you to join them. Stand up. Speak out. Be for the child. Be a CASA. For more information, visit vanscasa.com. That’s van dcasa.com. Catalyst Church Food Pantry is honored to be the nonprofit partner of Friday, May 23rd’s Otter Game. Catalyst Church invites the community, but also the churches from the tri-state to come and unite as one game, as one church around one cause. Catalyst Church invites each person to bring at least one, if not more, non-p perishable food item for their food pantry to continue helping the Evansville community. A great night of baseball is planned and postgame fireworks are just part of the fun. More information can be found on Catalyst Church Evansville’s Facebook page. Dale Thomas leads off the Grizzlies here in the top of the fifth inning as they try to find a way to get to Parker Brahms who has just been excellent so far for the Evansville Otterers. Absolutely. He’s pounded the zone easily. We’ve said it multiple times in this broadcast. Not a huge strikeout guy. Only one K so far on the day, but he pitches the contact and he does that well. part of the defense behind him has been able to help him get those outs that he so desperately needs to be successful. I mentioned Dale Thomas coming to the plate in his second season with the Grizzlies. Just trying to get the Grizzlies started here to get them get something going. Brahms will come set for the first pitch of the inning. First pitch is taken low and away for ball number one. Dell Thomas struck out earlier in this ball game. Said he’s looking for his first hit on the game. Looking for his first hit on the year. Next pitch Thomas taking high for ball two. So quickly behind O two and0 for Brahms, which is something you do not want to see because he’s doing his best when he’s getting out ahead early. Next pitch, Thomas. That one is hit towards right center field. It’s going to get down for a base hit. It’s going to roll its way, get cut off just before the wall. Thomas cruising his way into second, but we’ll get there just in time. So, a leadoff double here for the Grizzlies to get them going. A chance to hopefully get themselves on the board. Mer fell behind early in the count. Two and0. tried to just get an excuse me breaking ball in there for a strike. Hung it and Thomas not missing it for his first ser of the season. 104 off the bat, splitting the outfielders on the right side. So a huge running swing opportunity here for the first baseman, Ross Friedrich. Here comes the first pitch to him. That one is ripped towards right field. Coming in as Benson and he will make the grab for out number one. So a hard hit ball but drops right to Benson in right field. And the Otter get a big out number one. There’s that defense we talked about for Benson. A lesser outfielder. Wouldn’t have had a great read on that since it was knuckling in the air a little bit and it would have dropped in front of him. But there good read off the bat able to come in and make the running catch. And that will bring up Cole Brandon playing in center field tonight. Brahms first pitch to Brandon is taken in there for strike number one. So getting ahead of this batter, which is obviously key for him. Brandon, a guy who does really good at getting on base at a 342 OBP last year. And when he gets on base, he can fly. So do well to keep this guy off the base. Friedrich bouncing over there at second. Quickly behind Ow and two now for that swinging strike as Dale Thomas. Camo at shoretop holding Dale Thomas at second. Just behind Dale Thomas is a Kimo. And here comes the O2 pitch. That one is hit high towards the center fielder. It’s actually going to stay in the infield. caught by JJ Cruz for out number two. So after that leadoff double quickly two outs here for Brahms and that will lead to the catcher Jose Alberts. Lot of vertical break on that slider today for Brahms which is inducing those high popups. That’s the third one that Cruz has had a chance and made a play on so far just into the fourth inning. Excuse me, the fifth inning. So two away. Brahms will come set hit towards the right base but will go foul. So quickly ahead of Alvarez he is is 0 and one. Brahms will come set. Dale Thomas now being held on by JJ Cruz over there. Little bouncy over there. Here comes the second pitch. Alvarez way inside. Just got out of the way. Count moves to one and one now. Alvarez got on by Fielder Schwis in the third inning. Here comes the 1-1 pitch. That one is hit high towards right field. It is hooking foul and will get out of play. So count will move to one and two now. So now with the count at one and two with two away and a runner on second, Brahms trying to get out of the fifth inning scoreless. Alvarez just trying to get a run across here for Gateway. Here comes the one-two pitch. That one’s taken high for ball two. The Otter held Gateway scoreless last night until the eighth inning. And once again doing the same thing. They’ve had a couple of opportunities to extend that lead but haven’t taken advantage but Brahms doing a fantastic job on the mound shutting out this Grizzly squad. Two two count. Brahms will come set. There’s a pitch taken off as Thomas. That one’s hit right to the shortstop Kimo. Throw over to first will be in time as the Otter get out of the fifth inning once again scoreless. Brahms has five shut out. and we’ll be back here right after this short break. For the last 5 years, the Evansville African-American Museum and the Evansville Otters have partnered together to offer tickets at no cost for the whole family for the Junth Negro Leagues baseball tribute. All are invited to celebrate Junth with us on June 19th for the annual salute to the Negro Leagues game. Pregame activities start at 4:30 with first pitch scheduled for 505. For information on these tickets, fans can stop by the Evansville African-American Museum at 579 Sandre Matthews Way in Evansville or any local Evansville Vanderberg Public Library. Maintaining our independence becomes more and more vital as we age. Swa and more can help you navigate this important journey by answering your questions and connecting you to free and unbiased community resources and support services. If you are seeking advice for yourself or a loved one, let Swarka be your first call. More information available at swarka.org or by calling 812464-7800. Back here historic Bossy Field and it’s back at Buffalo Wild Wings. All you can eat wings and fries Monday through Friday now including traditional wings. That’s right. All the wings and fries you can eat with your favorite sauce. Just $19.99 for bonus and $24.99 for traditional wings. So get all the heavy hitters together and head to Buffalo Wild Wings Mondays through Friday, Thursdays for a limited time, 9 and only. Visit either Evans locations, 5405 Pearl Drive and 7:15 North Green Avenue for details. As we get set here for the bottom, the fifth inning. Otter, like I said, just trying to expand that lead. They’ve had opportunities since that two-run double from Keenan Taylor, but they just haven’t taken advantage now with Donovan Burke into a second inning of work. We’ll see if the Otter can do something here. And and speaking of Donovan Burke, giving up giving some extra work here for the Grizzlies is huge. Absolutely. Especially with the way this bullpin operates. A lot of high leverage guys where we were only one inning guys. They’re one of the players that can come out of the pin and give you two three innings of roller leaf in a seven inning matchup. Double header like it is today. That is massive for Gateway. And this will bring up the leadoff hitter Kamo for the Otter here. First pitch way just over his head. He’s already been hit by one today and almost got hit by a second, but he was able to get out get out of the way in time. So all it will be was ball number one. I mean, I know he said get on base at any cost, but I don’t know he necessarily meant that. That That was close. Yeah. Donovan Burke with 21 starts in college. So, he’s not a he’s not against getting these start these long relief opportunities. That one is swung on a miss by Kimo for strike number one. Next pitch, Kimo. That one is hit towards the first baseman, but foul. Camo, the lead off hitter for the Otter, spent three seasons in the Padres’s minor league system. Got as high as high a ball during the st. During that stint, he went he had a 366 on base percentage, 62 walks to 73 strikeouts. Here comes the ones who pitched to him. swung on a miss for strike three. An ugly swing there as Burke gets a strike out and it will be quickly one away for the Otter. That’ll bring up the center fielder Graham Brown. I was trying to say this earlier. Spent three seasons at Coastal Carolina. Was a teammate of Dale Thomas and Tanner Garrison while he was there. Those two ended up transferring to Florida before coming out to play for Gateway. Mark will come set. Here comes the first pitch to Brown. Taken in there for strike one. So quickly ahead of Brown is Donovan Burke. Burke on the mounds. Just 18 pitches here. That one taken outside for ball one. So that’ll be 19 pitches through one and one/3 innings pitched. mentioned getting some length out of some guys you maybe wouldn’t normally do would is huge in a double header. The one-1 pitch here from Burke is hit towards the right side. A little blooper and under it will be Victor Castillo for out number two. So a two away. A quick two outs. That’ll bring up David Mendum to see if he can try to extend this inning. Burke came inside. hit that on Graham Brown after working away from the first two pitches at that bat. Got him to jam himself a little bit with a soft line of Castillo and that’s why Burke is so good for Gateway and why he had such a good start before that torn UCL is the pitch sequences he puts out there are superb as menum comes to the plate just trying to extend the inning. He’s done a great job at seeing pitches so far today. A single and a walk for him. First pitch to him inside for ball one. I mean something, like I said, we saw from Mendum last year is just a fantastic control of the zone. We’ve seen it in prime examples so far today. Got to a three-run 3-1 count before he got the hit in the first inning and the third drew the walk. Next pitch to him taken in there for strike one. So count moves to one and one. Mum not afraid to to take strikes that he knows he’s not able to do anything with. Burke will come set. Here comes the 1-1 pitch. That one is fouled off by David Midam. So quickly behind one and two. The 25-year-old out of Canada. Not afraid to be in these counts, though. Does a great job battling. Let’s see what he can do here. Burke at the mound once again will come set. Here comes the one two pitch taken low and in for ball two. So count will move to two and two now. The Otter have two runs on three hits but also have four walks on the day and a hit by batter hit by pitch. Done a great job at getting on base. Next pitch, check swing. Did he go? He didn’t. So count will move to full now. But really since that double from Keenan Taylor, they’ve just not been able to get any of those runners in. And Donovan Burke has done a good job coming in so far and really stifling this offense. counts full as Burke comes set. And here comes the payoff pitch taken low for ball four. So a second walk for David Mendum. His third time getting on base today. And that will set up LJ Jones. The runner on first and two away. I mean, that is just a phenomenal at bat there from the power guy and David Mendum getting behind the count one too early, battling great bat bat control to not go on a really nasty pitch low and working the walk. First pitch to LJ Jones. He doesn’t go and that one will be up for ball one. OT Jones grounded into his field field of choice his second time and his first time was a line out to center field with now Midnum on first. That one taken for ball two. He’s had Midnum in front of him on base every single time, but fortunately just not been able to move him. Second time he’s been up to bat with Midnham at first with two away. Burke comes set. It’s a two and0 count. Here’s the pitch taken outside for ball three. Burke with a little bit of a hesitant on his whenever he picks up his leg to kind of just keep Mendum honest. As I mentioned, Mendum not a huge stolen base threat, but it’s always good to keep really anybody honest. Here comes the three 0 pitch. That one swung on a miss by LJ Jones. was trying to find something to put somewhere to try to score Mendum but came up with nothing. Interesting there that he had the green light 3 0 with two outs and Evans struggling to score so far this afternoon. Here comes the 3-1 pitch from Burke. Now that one is hit high and out of play. Count will move full. That’s construction. Choose the best. Never regret it. OJ Jones mentioned last game went one for four so far. 0 for two today. Did get hit by a pitch last game. 25year-old out of Chula Vista, California. Long Beach State for three seasons. Next pitch taken in there for strike three. So the Otter leave one stranded and don’t score any as we head to the top of the six. Still tied at two to nothing. Originally opening in 2004, Jacob’s Village has been a home for adults with disabilities, giving these great residents a wonderful opportunity to live life just like you and me. Jacob’s Village mission is to continue building a safe, walkable neighborhood community where people with disabilities and older adults can find meaningful relationships, affordable and accessible housing, and activities to keep their bodies and minds engaged. We can’t wait to have Jacob’s Village at the ballpark on July 3rd for our annual Red, White, and Blue Night. More information on this great community partner is available at jacobsvillage.org. For the last 5 years, the Evansville African-American Museum and the Evansville Otters have partnered together to offer tickets at no cost for the whole family for the Junth Negro Leagues baseball tribute. All are invited to celebrate Junth with us on June 19th for the annual Salute to the Negro Leagues game. Pregame activities start at 4:30 with first pitch scheduled for 505. For information on these tickets, fans can stop by the Evansville African-American Museum at 579 Sandre Matthews Way in Evansville or any local Evansville Vanderberg Public Library. Catalyst Church Food Pantry is honored to be the nonprofit partner of Friday, May 23rd’s Otter Game. Catalyst Church invites the community, but also the churches from the tri-state to come and unite as one game as one church around one cause. Catalyst Church invites each person to bring at least one, if not more, non-p perishable food item for their food pantry to continue helping the Evansville community. A great night of baseball is planned and postgame fireworks are just part of the fun. More information can be found on Catalyst Church Evansville’s Facebook page. Welcome back here in Evansville as the Otter maintain their two nothing lead and Parker Brahms out there for a sixth inning of work. mainta trying to maintain that lead, that slim two to nothing lead. But that will bring up the ever dangerous Mark Shallonburgger. Did a great job in his last at bat working the count. Something we you would typically see from him. We’ll see if he can do some do some of the same at this leadoff spot. First pitch of Shaenburgger. Swung on it, missed. Tried to get something there early, but Brahms pulled the string. Shaenberger first at bat flew out on the first pitch. Second at bat walked. So we’ll see what he can do here in his third opportunity against Brahms. That one taken in there for strikes two. are quickly behind 0 and2. All the analytics will tell you a third time through the through the lineup is always very difficult. And Brahms though Shaburgger getting his third attempt against him. See if he can do some damage and swinging a miss at strike three on a pitch way up in the zone. Braum’s making him look silly. That’ll be quickly out number one. Congratulations. You don’t see Mark Shelonburg look that silly too often. And I mean, good morning, good afternoon, good night. And an ugly swing on a high fast ball to get Shalonburgger to go sit down. Just great approach there from Braums. And that will bring up the second baseman today, Callen Halverson. First pitch to him quickly from Braum. Tak in there for strike one. Bra, you see when Braum’s in that in that groove, he is working quickly. It was his 76th pitch of the night. Next pitch to him ripped towards left center. On the move is Brown. He won’t get to it. So a base hit there for Halverson. And with one away, Grizzlies got something going. Paxton Wallace. And that will bring up Paxton Wallace. 0 for two on the day. Looking for his first hit. He is the tying run here in the top of the sixth. First pitch from Brahms taken in there for strike number one. Otters do finally have some warming up in that bullpin. It is made who saw action last night as well up in warming for Evansville. And with Braum’s way he’s pitching he’s be hard pressed to take him out but at the same time don’t want to push him a little bit too far. That one popped up towards the right field line moving over but without enough space as JT Benson but quickly ahead of Paxton Wallace here. 02 is Brahms and it’s that double-edged sword right. You don’t want to tire an arm like Brahms early. He’s going to be a big key piece for you. but also when he’s pitching so well, like you said, it’s hard to take him out when he has a chance for a complete game shut out next inning. Quick check over there at first with plenty of time. Halverson over there at first base. Not a ton of stolen bases, but again, just got to keep them honest. Here comes the 02 pitch. Fouled off, so Wallace will stay alive just barely. Again, the Otter after dropping game one last night, just looking for their first win of the season in game one of this double header. We’ll have another game approximately 30 minutes after this one. Here comes the O2 pitch fouled off. So, Walls will continue to battle brought to you by Construction. Choose the best, never regret it. That’ll make for pitch number 80 for Parker Brahms. He comes set 02 pitch here taken high for ball one. So count will move to one and two. And with Brahms now at 81 pitches, you start to wonder what is the hard count for him where no matter what he’s gone. It’ll be interesting to see. But he’s got to get Wallace here. Here’s the one-two pitch. That one fouled back again. Walls continues to battle. Big for this Grizzlies team that’s still searching for their first run of the ball game. Here comes the one-two pitch again. That one is hit. Scores up there. base just out just past the out outreached arms of Ray Gil. And so another base hit here for the Grizzlies. Put runners on first and second with only one away. And the go-ahead runner DJ Stewart will come to the plate. That’s just one of those bad luck plays over there. that third for Gil was clang really hooked up against that third base line playing him to pull a high bouncer slow enough to where usually that’s a routine play for Ray Gill over at third but since he was playing so close to that line just patched the Astros glove to him to him while he was going to second base and not quite able to make the play and we’ll have a mountain visit. Looks like they will go ahead and get Parker Brahms and we’ll come back after this short break with the new picture. Right now in Vanderberg County, over 800 children are in the child welfare system waiting for someone to be their voice. And you could be that voice by becoming a courtappointed special advocate, a CASA volunteer. Donating just a few hours a month of your time can change a child’s life forever. Vanderberg County CASA invites you to join them. Stand up, speak out, be for the child, be a CASasa. For more information, visit vanscasa.com. That’s van dcasa.com. Ballet Indiana is made up of local ballet professionals, dedicated parents, and community members in order to provide unique and lifeenriching experiences for hundreds of young dancers while carrying out their mission to inspire a lifelong appreciation for dance for both our dancers and the Evansville community. More information on Ballet Indiana and information about their upcoming performances is available at balletindian.org. Back here in Evansville, Indiana, as we have a new pitcher for the Otter. It’ll be Nate Walddemouth, who appeared in the game last night, pitched one inning, gave up one hit, and struck out one in his first season with Evansville. We also have pinch runner at first. T Conrad, the starter from last night, will pinch run in this one. It’s not too often you see a starting pitcher come out to pinch run for somebody. That is uh interesting to say the least, but when you only have one bench bat, I mean starts to make sense a little bit. Yeah. And that one bench bat being the backup catcher, it is always tough. Anyway, Gateway very short on that. But for Woldemouth spent three seasons in college, one with Arkansas, the final two with Roger State. In that time, he appeared in 33 games. started started in 12 of those. Had a 10.4K per nine rate. So has some good strikeout stuff. Saw him get one last night. And as the 23-year-old out of Elaso, Oklahoma tries to get the Otter out of this jam. Otter’s on first and second with one away. Take a look back. Being held on tight at sec first base. That one taken way up and in for ball number one. And that’ll get your attention as a hitter. First pitch, guy comes out of the pin, throws 92 right under your chin, man. Halverson at second being held on close by JJ Cruz. Next pitch swung a miss. Put everything into that one. Was DJ Stewart as DJ Stewart comes to the plate. Ogamuth last night an inning gave up a hit, a strike out as well. Paxton Walsh was the player pinch run for he was the DH. Here comes the one-1 pitch. That one is fouled off. So quickly behind one and two now is DJ Stewart. Make Callen Halverson at second. T Conrad, the starter from game one at first. T Conrad represents the tying run in this ball game. DJ Stewart will represent the go-ahead runner. Here comes the one-two pitch. That one is pitch over third baseline. throw to second for one. They’ll only get one. Great play by Ray Gil to get the runner at second. So there will now be two away. Runners at the corners as that will bring up Victor Castillo hit the ball really hard in his last at bat. Victor. A good smart play over at third by Gil getting the out of second and then Cruz not rushing the throw at first and possibly committing an error. Just eating it and giving Wolgamuth a chance to get out of this one unscathed. Castillo 0 for one of the day. Had a walk earlier. Also hit the ball hard in his second at bat. Takes the first pitch up and away for ball one. Castillo in a big moment here for the Grizzlies. Big moment for both these teams right now. Big swing at that one, but comes up with nothing. So, the count will move to one and one now. LJ Jones holds DJ Stewart at first and Colin Halverson leading off third. Next pitch taken just outside for ball two. Wolgamouth trying to work out of this for the Otter. 2-1 pitch now. That one is in there for strike two. Beautiful pitch from Wolgamuth. Wolgamuth trying to make a name for himself on this Otter squad early. Here comes the two two pitch. Runner will take off. Throw to second. Will be in time and they’ll get him. So, the runner coming home will not count and the Otter get out of the inning unscathed. They maintain their two nothing lead as they come to the bottom of the six to try to get them some extra insurance here on the Otter Digital Network. Maintaining our independence becomes more and more vital as we age. Swa and more can help you navigate this important journey by answering your questions and connecting you to free and unbiased community resources and support services. If you are seeking advice for yourself or a loved one, let SWA be your first call. More information available at swerka.org or by calling 812-464-7800. Originally opening in 2004, Jacob’s Village has been a home for adults with disabilities, giving these great residents a wonderful opportunity to live life just like you and me. Jacob’s Village mission is to continue building a safe, walkable neighborhood community where people with disabilities and older adults can find meaningful relationships, affordable and accessible housing, and activities to keep their bodies and minds engaged. We can’t wait to have Jacob’s Village at the ballpark on July 3rd for our annual Red, White, and Blue Night. More information on this great community partner is available at jacobsvillage.org. For the last five years, the Evansville African-American Museum and the Evansville Otterers have partnered together to offer tickets at no cost for the whole family for the Junth Negro Leagues baseball tribute. All are invited to celebrate Junth with us on June 19th for the annual Salute to the Negro Leagues game. Pregame activities start at 4:30 with first pitch scheduled for 505. For information on these tickets, fans can stop by the Evansville African-American Museum at 579 Sandre Matthews Way in Evansville or any local Evansville Vanderberg Public Library. Catalyst Church Food Pantry is honored to be the nonprofit partner of Friday, May 23rd’s Otter Game. Catalyst Church invites the community, but also the churches from the tri-state to come and unite as one game as one church around one cause. Catalyst Church invites each person to bring at least one, if not more, non-p perishable food item for their food pantry to continue helping the Evansville community. A great night of baseball is planned and postgame fireworks are just part of the fun. More information can be found on Catalyst Church Evansville’s Facebook page. JT Benson leading us off here in the bottom of the sixth inning against Don Van Burke who comes out for his third inning of work trying to continue to maintain that Evansville lead at just two. He’s done a great job out of the bullpen so far. So he looks to continue that. Gile that one walk to Mendum. Outside of that he has been untouched. Three strikeouts on the game for Burke in his two innings of work. Tries to give up that one walk. And this could be a huge discovery for this Grizzlies team who already has such a good bullpen and such a good rotation. You get another guy like this, it just adds to it. I tell you what, this team Gateway is going to be really hard to beat if they get an early lead on some other teams. I mean, that West division is just stacked right now. First pitch here to Benson. He’ll take that one outside for ball one. And right now just trying need to work work some counts here against Burke. Make him make him come to you. Try to get some hit string together. Try to extend that lead because you know Gateway can score in a hurry. That one hit towards DJ Stewart. He’ll take that on one hop. Throw over to first on a bounce in time. Quickly one away here in the bottom of the sixth inning. as Donna Bert continues to cruise. Speaking of that, here comes JJ Cruz. Nice stretch over there at first by Fedri. Looked a little awkward, but able to get down, scoop it, and beat Benson by about a step and a half. It was a very long throw there from Stewart. He has now shifted a little bit off the third base there. Here comes Burke. First pitch to Cruz. He’ll take that one inside for ball one. Cruz looking for his first hit in this ball game. He’ll swing at that one. Go quickly up to one and one. Couple of strikeouts for him so far. Trying to turn it around here in this bottom of the sixth inning. Like I said, Donovan Burke has just been very good so far against this Otter’s offense. That one foul tip. So, count moves to one and two. Interesting. No one. Griff is stretching in the bullpin area in between innings, but right now no one up and throwing. Looks like Walcommouth is going to get the seventh. Here comes the one-two pitch from Burke. Cruz will foul that one off to the right side. So, he’ll stay alive in this one. JJ Cruz initially recruited by Cal State Fullerton. Played three seasons with them before transferring to Hope International of the NIA, playing two of them. Here comes the one-two pitch. That one is ripped towards right field but under it will be Victor Castillo for out number one. So out number two rather. That one was hit hard but all for not quickly two away here in this inning as Ray Gil will look to extend it. Third base number two Ray Gill. Ray Gil on the day 0 for one with the walk. Scored a run earlier. in his first game of the season. Reminder, we’re in a seven inning game. So, next inning will be the last inning. Here comes the first pitch from Burke. That one is fouled off Gil. Looks like he fouled off his front foot. Burke goes ahead one and or 0 and one rather. Ray Gil trying to impress in his first start here. The 25-year-old out of Miami, Florida has definitely has some pop in that bat with two away. Could see him free swing and trying to get an extra run. Comes the 01 pitch. He’ll take that one low for one and one now. spent the last three seasons in the Pioneer League with the Boise Hawks and the Ogden Raptors. Now with the Evansville Otter, next pitch swung through. Count will move to one and two and Re will take time. try to just take some time, work through this at bat, try to extend it as much as he can, moves back into the box. Comes set as Burke. Here comes the one two pitch. That one is ripped towards left center. That one is going to get down for a base hit. So, Gil’s first hit of the season extends this inning to at least one more batter. And that will bring up Cohen Wilbanks to the plate. Good plate appearance there for Gil. Battling with two strikes, finally getting a pitch. He can hit a hanging 83 mph breaker. Just lifts it right over the head of Thomas at short falling in front of Brandon Shallonburgger in left center. And Will Banks, who’s also in his first game, currently 0 for one as well, but has a walk and a run. Throw back over to first, gets by the first baseman, Friedrich. Gale will run and easily make his way into second. I think they’ll call a dead ball so he can get second base free. So an error there from Donovan Burke gets the Otter into scoring position and Colbanks also looking for his first hit on the year. Now has a runcoring opportunity. And that ball got away. Hit the drain down there on the right side warning track and found Jurgy. Bounced up and over the chain link fence which gave Gill at 390 ft. Count still at 0 and0. Will Banks at the plate. Here comes the first pitch to him. He’ll take that one up and in for ball one. So Burke all of a sudden in some trouble after doing so well. so far in this ball game. That’s a big insurance run. Standing at second base right now and Ray Gil only up two nothing. Next pitch to Will Banks. That one is a chopper over the first baseman Friedrich. He’ll take it himself for out number three. So the Otter have to get three more outs with that two-run lead. And if they can, they’ll come away victors as we’ll be right back here on the Otter Digital Network. For the last 5 years, the Evansville African-American Museum and the Evansville Otters have partnered together to offer tickets at no cost for the whole family for the Junth Negro Leagues baseball tribute. All are invited to celebrate Junth with us on June 19th for the annual salute to the Negro Leagues game. Pregame activities start at 4:30 with first pitch scheduled for 505. For information on these tickets, fans can stop by the Evansville African-American Museum at 579 Sandre Matthews Way in Evansville or any local Evansville Vanderberg Public Library. Catalyst Church Food Pantry is honored to be the nonprofit partner of Friday, May 23rd’s Otter Game. Catalyst Church invites the community, but also the churches from the tri-state to come and unite as one game as one church around one cause. Catalyst Church invites each person to bring at least one, if not more, non-p perishable food item for their food pantry to continue helping the Evansville community. A great night of baseball is planned and postgame fireworks are just part of the fun. More information can be found on Catalyst Church Evansville’s Facebook page. Right now in Vanderberg County, over 800 children are in the child welfare system waiting for someone to be their voice. And you could be that voice by becoming a court-appointed special advocate, a CASA volunteer. Donating just a few hours a month of your time can change a child’s life forever. Vanderberg County CASA invites you to join them. Stand up, speak out, be for the child, be a CASA. For more information, visit vanscasa.com. That’s van dcasa.com. Nate Wilmouth remains out there on the mound as he tries to secure a five out save here for the Evansville Otterers. Honors remain up two to nothing as they try to come away victorious in game two of the season and set themselves up potentially get a sweep in today’s double header. It’s been a really good pitching performance from both Wolgamuth and Braum so far in case Wgamouth does get into some trouble. Griff Hughes now warming in the bullpin for Evansville and both of those guys really good yesterday against this gateway team. This would be a big first win for the Otter. Not able to secure that insurance run in the bottom half of the sixth. Now the top half of the seventh, hoping to close it out for the first time this year. Yeah, Griffu Griff went one in one third innings yesterday, got two strikeouts, but Victor Castile, who was at the plate when the last runner got caught stealing, now will come to play trying to get it started here for the Grizzlies. Castillo will step into the box. Wolgamuth will get set. He will wind up. Here’s the pitch. That one’s taken low and in for ball one. Castillo still looking for his first hit of the ball game. Here comes next pitch. That one is taken just high for ball two. Castillo did walk earlier. and has hit the ball hard just trying to get on base to get the tying run to the plate. Next pitch, that one is taken in there for strike one. So count will move to two and one now and a big first strike of the at bat to try to try to get back into it if you can and try to get this first out. That one’s taken outside. quickly moves to three and one. Now this is a big first out. If you can get this first out of the inning, it really sets you up. Here comes the 3-1 pitch. That one is in there. It is not in there. He will take that for ball four. I mean, that one was about as good as it gets for both. I mean I I would think jeez that’s man. According to our strike zone was a strike but umpire Jordan Alfonso did not see it that way. That’ll bring up Dale Thomas the tying run to the plate. First pitch to him. That one is a ball for ball one. You hate that for Wamuth who in college and in summer ball has struggled with the walks per nine. Gets a walk that really wasn’t even earned. That one almost hits Dale Thomas, but it just misses for ball two. Thomas had a leadoff double in the top of the fifth inning, but wasn’t able to come around and score. Comes the two pitch to him. Now that one’s outside for ball three. So quickly a three and0 count. The tying run at the plate, Dale Thomas. Just need to go get him. Three pitch now. That one is in there for strike one. So count moves a three and one now. Wolgamuth the runner on first and runner at the plate. That one is in there for strike two. So count gets back to full. So great job working back here for Wolgamuth. the 23-year-old at 5’11 trying to get a big out here for the Otter. 3-2 pitch. That one is chopped in front of the catcher. Worth will take it. He’ll just throw get the out at first for out number one. So, a big out number one as that will bring up Ross Friedrich. And I know I don’t have to say it, but clutch late home run for him last game and he’s in another clutch spot now. basement. It is crazy that yesterday, the ninth inning started with this part of the order, that big comeback, and now here in the last inning of this first game of this double header. Same exact situation pretty much for Ross Friedrich. First pitch of Friedrich. He’s swinging, but we’re fouled off to the left side of the ballpark. Brought to you by construction. Choose the best. Never regret. Fedri flew out his second time after getting a hit his first time. Next pitch to him just a bit high for ball one. Man, he Nate reared back and tossed that one hard. 96 miles an hour. That is the fastest pitch by honor so far this season. Wow, that that was quick. Next pitch. That one is fouled off. And just so you know, kind of fluke 95 from Wolgamuth. So he is he’s really rearing back and letting it loose here in this bottom of the top of the seventh inning. And that’s six straight fast balls now for him. I mean, he’s just saying, “Here’s my best stuff. Good luck.” Yeah. And he obviously had some command issues earlier in this inning. So you just want to rear back and get him. Friedrich not showing he can catch up to it. Woo will step off just to reather himself. Like I said, first season here with Evansville already his second outing. You can see why the Otter took a liking to him. Next pitch just misses inside. Fans here don’t agree, but that will be ball number two. And that one right on the corner of our strike zone. Kind of a 50-50 ball. Alant homeplayed umpire Alfonso not giving him that zone though. That one foul tipped by Friedri as he stays alive. Once again, Friedrich having a great atbat here in the latter stages. Has yet to see anything off speed. Wolgamuth will come set now. Takes a look back at second. Now here comes the pitch. That one is ripped deep to right center. Backing up at the wall and this one is gone. And just like that, Friedrich has gone deep for a second game in a row for the second time in the final inning. And this game has just been tied. Couple of questionable calls from the homeplayed umpire. And just like that, homeplayed umpire Alfonso has thrown out the first base coach. That is Max Peterson who was not happy with the zone obviously. So, and obviously I mean I think I think the fans kind of and there he is. He’s dusting up home three basically telling him that you weren’t looking at anything. An obviously upset coach there. Just trying to help out his pitcher as well. With Andy McCauley at the mound, we’ll see if they want to take him out and go with Griff Hughes. That one off the bat at 103. Threw it low in the zone. Actually out of the zone, but Friedick went down and got it. And it looks like they will go to Griff Hughes in this situation trying to just get us back to the bottom of the seventh inning. And we’ll be back after this short break as Griffu warms up. We’ll be back with some stats. For the last 5 years, the Evansville African-American Museum and the Evansville Otterers have partnered together to offer tickets at no cost for the whole family for the Junth Negro Leagues baseball tribute. All are invited to celebrate Junth with us on June 19th for the annual Salute to the Negro Leagues game. Pregame activities start at 4:30 with first pitch scheduled for 505. For information on these tickets, fans can stop by the Evansville African-American Museum at 579 Sandre Matthews Way in Evansville or any local Evansville Vanderberg Public Library. Catalyst Church Food Pantry is honored to be the nonprofit partner of Friday, May 23rd’s Otter Game. Catalyst Church invites the community, but also the churches from the tri-state to come and unite as one game as one church around one cause. Catalyst Church invites each person to bring at least one, if not more, non-p perishable food item for their food pantry to continue helping the Evansville community. A great night of baseball is planned and postgame fireworks are just part of the fun. More information can be found on Catalyst Church Evansville’s Facebook page. Good Hughes. And for the Otter trying to just get this one to the bottom of the seventh inning. Still tied. Mentioned yesterday went one and one/3 innings pitched through two Ks. Had a four year four season career with Carson Newman in college. Last year with the Otter, 36 appearances, went 44 innings, pitched to a 307 RA. Was one of their best pitchers out of the bullpen. And right now they need him in a big spot to just get out of this inning. Get us to the bottom of the seventh. give the Otterers a chance to win this one in the bottom half of the inning. Fans booing home plate umpire Jordan Alfonso and that will bring up number five Cole Brandon for the Grizzlies. Still one away. First pitch from Hughes. Swung on a missed for strike number one. See what the Grizzlies want to do here if they do take the lead. see what they’ll do here in the bottom half of the inning either way. Next pitch from Hughes. That one is high. Count moves to one and one. And in the bullpin now for Gateway 27, Keegan Kohich. So that’s probably who’s going to get the bottom half of this seventh whether it’s tied or not. Here comes the 1-1 pitch from Hughes. That one a check swing chopped in front of the catcher but will roll foul. So count will move to one and two and you mentioned that but Burke with a fantastic three innings did a great job keeping this game at two and just like that Gateway tied it in the seventh. And now here comes Griffy trying to just get us to the bottom of the seventh. Still tied. Use will come set. Here comes the one-two pitch. That one fouled off. So Brandon does a good job staying alive. Last few days, it’s not like the Odds have scored early and not had any chances. They’ve left seven men on base today. So they’ve had chances to try and get that big extra insurance run that would have helped them in this situation. Now here comes the one-two pitch from Griff Hughes. That one just out past the outstret outreached arms of Ray Gil. And another base hit on a one-two count. And that’ll bring up Jos Alvarez with the go-ahad run at first base. Cole Brandon a stealing base machine. 30 of 36 last year. and with a left-hander on the mound. Maybe a little bit better of a chance to hold him there, but be very likely that we’ll see him going if he gets the opportunity. Hughes stares him down now. We’ll take the pitch. Brandon doesn’t go. And the first pitch in there for strike one. Looks like Alvarez was kind of waiting to see if he wanted to go. That’s a pitch that was center cut but didn’t go after it. Hughes comes set. taking his time. Next pitch, that one foul tipped in the glove from Alvarez. Now quickly 0 and2 did a great job striking out batters last year. 61 strikeouts and 44 innings pitched. Like I said, was a fantastic reliever out of the bullpin for him last year. Expect to see the same from him this year. And again, a big moment here. 02 count the speedster Cole Brandon over there at first. Alvarez at the plate staring him down now. We’ll throw over to first just to keep him honest. Griff is doing a good job kind of switching up his timing, not letting him get a a read of how quickly he’s going to go. He’ll come set once again. He’ll look over at first. still staring down first. Now he’ll come to the plate. That one’s up the middle. Could be two. Out at second. Throw to first. Will be in time. So a double play gets the Otter out of the inning, but not before the Grizzlies tie it. So now we will go to the bottom of the seventh. Game tied with the Otter with a chance to take a walk-off win here in game two of the season. We’ll be right back after the short break. Maintaining our independence becomes more and more vital as we age. Swerka and more can help you navigate this important journey by answering your questions and connecting you to free and unbiased community resources and support services. If you are seeking advice for yourself or a loved one, let Swarka be your first call. More information available at swca.org or by calling 812-4647800. Originally opening in 2004, Jacob’s Village has been a home for adults with disabilities, giving these great residents a wonderful opportunity to live life just like you and me. Jacob’s Village mission is to continue building a safe, walkable neighborhood community where people with disabilities and older adults can find meaningful relationships, affordable and accessible housing, and activities to keep their bodies and minds engaged. We can’t wait to have Jacob’s Village at the ballpark on July 3rd for our annual Red, White, and Blue Night. More information on this great community partner is available at jacobsvillage.org. For the last 5 years, the Evansville African-American Museum and the Evansville Otterers have partnered together to offer tickets at no cost for the whole family for the Junth Negro Leagues baseball tribute. All are invited to celebrate Junth with us on June 19th for the annual salute to the Negro Leagues game. Pregame activities start at 4:30 with first pitch scheduled for 505. For information on these tickets, fans can stop by the Evansville African-American Museum at 579 Sandre Matthews Way in Evansville or any local Evansville Vanderberg Public Library. Otter now coming to the plate with a chance to win this bowl game after giving up two in the top half of the seventh. And to do it, they’ll have to get past the ultra successful Keegan Colette. Klette spent multiple years within different organizations or within the Padres’s organization rather between single A high A and rookie ball. Pitched last year for the Grizzlies in a per and an excellent one, two, three erra, 12 strikeouts, six walks in seven and 1/3 innings. So, it’s going to be no easy task. is going to start with Keenan Taylor who has the RBI double that gave the Otter the initial lead and see if he can get them going here in the bottom of the seventh inning. Colette will come to the plate and that one is taken high for ball one. So good start here for Taylor trying to make them work. Second season here for Colette with the Grizzlies, his sixth pro season. Comes the one pitch. That one’s taken in there for strike one. That one just caught the bottom corner of the plate. Klette will come set and with the 1-1 pitch, that curve ball got him swinging for strike two. Pulled the string on his typical 90 mph fast ball down to 79. So now Tina Taylor behind one and two one-two pitch long and miss at a pitch out of the zone for out number one and that will flip the line apart over to Olay Kimo again just trying to get the Otterers going here in the bottom of the seventh inning. The short stop number one away just trying to get on base and and get this line moving. First pitch curve ball in there for strike one. A lot of movement on that one. Camo currently 0 for two. got on base in the first inning with a hit by pitch. Comes the 01 pitch. That one is popped foul for strike two. 92 miles per hour on that one for Colette. So quickly behind 0 and2 is Kimo as he tries to work this count. Colette will come set. Comes the O2 pitch. That one in there for a strike three. Got him on the back door. Off speed pitch and now it’s 0 and two or quickly two away as that will bring up the center fielder Graham Brown to try to just keep this inning alive. There’s just two tough at bats there for Taylor and Camo. Colette just so good with that old school Uncle Charlie of a curve. So tough to get a beat on. First pitch low for ball one. I mean over 3,000 RPM on that off speed pitch. That is about as nasty as they come in this league. 10 count. Klette will come set. That one taken in there for strike one. So quickly count will go to one and one. Now Graham Brown has had 36 home runs in his three-year career at Coastal Carolina. One here would give the Otterers their first win of the season. So he fouls that one off quickly behind one and two now as he fouled that one off just off the catcher. Just tipped off him a little bit. Brown steps back into the box. Klette will view in and then come set. He deals this one two pitch. That one outside for ball two. Count moved to two and two. He’ll take time. That pitch from Colette going up to 94 milesPH. Continuing to escalate his miles per hour as Colette. Looks like there’s a stray ball or something of this of the witch that just fell into the field. So, umpires are holding play. and he’ll put it back in. Count two and two with two away for Graham Brown in the bottom of the seventh inning. Comes the pitch. Fouled it off. Staying alive. Pitching another nasty off speed pitch, but again, Graham Brown doing a good job staying alive in this at bat. Colette will come set. Comes the two- two pitch. That one taken outside. So, count full now. Graham Brown doing a great job working this count. If he can just get on, he’s got with a lot of wheels potentially get into scoring position. Just need to get on to move the line right now. Here comes the 3-2 pitch. That one fouled back. So great battle here for Brown. When you look at this guy, what he did through college and what he’s done so far this year is this is exactly what you want to see. 23-year-old putting in some great at bats, putting in the work in this one, making the pitcher out there work. Payoff pitch again and swings and misses on that one. So we have some extra baseball. So, we’ll head to the top of the eighth inning here in Evansville. Be right back. Catalyst Church Food Pantry is honored to be the nonprofit partner of Friday, May 23rd’s Otter Game. Catalyst Church invites the community, but also the churches from the tri-state to come and unite at one game as one church around one cause. Catalyst Church invites each person to bring at least one, if not more, non-p perishable food item for their food pantry to continue helping the Evansville community. A great night of baseball is planned and postgame fireworks are just part of the fun. More information can be found on Catalyst Church Evansville’s Facebook page. Right now in Vanderberg County, over 800 children are in the child welfare system waiting for someone to be their voice. And you could be that voice by becoming a court-appointed special advocate, a CASA volunteer. Donating just a few hours a month of your time can change a child’s life forever. Vanderberg County CASA invites you to join them. Stand up. Speak out. be for the child be aasa. For more information, visit vandcasa.com. That’s van dcasa.com. Griff Hughes out there once again here as we enter the top the eighth inning. Each team will get a runner on second to start their inning. And we’ll see if Hughes can work out of this one, maintain the tie, and get the Otter a chance to break it in the bottom of the eighth. These past two games for Evansville have just they have just been heartbreaking because you score only you’re ahead. You’re in control all game. Then Ross Friedrich comes up and just changes the whole complexion two nights in a row. Griffu is here with that runner on second. A big chance to calm down the nerves a little bit to begin this season. have a good appearance to bring up the offense with a chance to win it and hopefully still keep it tied. Refuse came in after give it after Wolguth gave up that two-run home run. Gave up a hit but then quickly got a double play to get out of that inning. On second base will be Jose Alvarez the catcher for the Grizzlies. And up to bat will be their leadoff hitter Mark Shaenberger. Alvarez has has some speed to him. He’s not your typical catcher who’s extremely slow, but shouldn’t be a risk of stealing. First pitch from Hughes, swung on a miss from Shaburgger. Now, this first out is obviously really, really big. If you can get this out like a strike out or keep that runner at second, you put yourself in a really good position to get out of the inning, keep the game tied, and give you give your offense a really good opportunity in the bottom half. Hughes will come set. He’ll check back at second and here comes the 01 pitch. That one is taken outside for ball one. So count will move to one and one now. Shallonburgger still hitless in this series. Has walked twice but not an official hit yet. Otter’s hoping it stays that way. Diffuse looks back now. Throw the pitch. That one pitch chopped over to first. Easy play there for LJ Jones for out number one. I will advance the runner to third. So with one away and a runner on third, Callen Hson has a big duty here to get that runner in to give the Grizzlies the lead in the top half of this inning. Manager Andy McCaulay will bring the infield in to try and hold Alvarez over at third with a productive at bat from Shenburgger moving the runner 90 ft. really just if you’re Hughes got to avoid pitching him anything up in the zone that he can elevate hopefully get him to roll over on something. Her first pitch to Alvarez fouled back for strike one. Knows he just missed it. Alvarez currently two for eight in the series. Was a prolific offensive hitter at Utah Valley University. 391 on base percentage, 12 home runs in his final season. Here comes the 01 pitch from Hughes. That one is taken in there for strike two. So quickly ahead, 0 and2. Hughes with a golden opportunity here to get this guy out and give him a great opportunity to get out of the inning. Albertson will take his time. And it’ll be interesting to see who’s on deck because remember T Conrad pitch ran for Paxton Wallace. And that spot is coming up next. Here comes the O2 pitch. That one swung on. Missed for strike three. So a big out number two and all of a sudden the Otterers with a huge opportunity to get out of this inning and that will bring up Tanner Garrison who we’ve not seen in this series. He is the backup catcher, typically listed as the emergency catcher if all things are considered equal. The 20 24 year old played one year at University of Florida after transferring out of Coastal Carolina. Dealt with a season ending shoulder injury last year, but now comes up with a big opportunity here for the Grizzlies. They need this run from third. Here comes the first pitch. That one swung on a miss for strike one. And one of the toughest things you can do in all of sports coming off the bench cold to play to go up against a pitcher who is right now clearly feeling it. Griffuse will come set. And here comes the 01 pitch. That one is taken in there for strike two. Beautiful job by Will Banks to frame it. So now 0 and2 here. That one was at 90 mph. About as topped out as Hughes will get. Here comes the O2 pitch. On a miss for strike three and the Otter get out of the inning scoreless and will have a golden opportunity to take this one in the bottom of the eighth inning. And we’ll be right back after this short break. Maintaining our independence becomes more and more vital as we age. Swarka and More can help you navigate this important journey by answering your questions and connecting you to free and unbiased community resources and support services. If you are seeking advice for yourself or a loved one, let Swa be your first call. More information available at swarka.org or by calling 812-4647800. Originally opening in 2004, Jacob’s Village has been a home for adults with disabilities, giving these great residents a wonderful opportunity to live life just like you and me. Jacob’s Village mission is to continue building a safe, walkable neighborhood community where people with disabilities and older adults can find meaningful relationships, affordable and accessible housing, and activities to keep their bodies and minds engaged. We can’t wait to have Jacob’s Village at the ballpark on July 3rd for our annual Red, White, and Blue Night. More information on this great community partner is available at jacobsvillage.org. Back here in historic Bossy Field as the Otter look to try to take game two in grand fashion. They’ll have JT Benson at second base, the speedster out of Louisville. And then coming up to bat will be David Mendum. If you’re asking for a better player to come up to bat, I don’t think you could find one. David Mendum was the Honors Allstar last year with the All-Star game MVP when they went up to Quebec. And it’s going to be really interesting to see how they pitch to him. You have the base open in this case potentially. You don’t want to give him something to hit where he gets a base hit and the game’s over. Absolutely. But the crazy thing is you’re at the point in the lineup where even after men, you have really good hitters. So, it’s really a pick your poison type of deal if you, you know, walk them in, put the double player on, but then you still have to deal with LJ Jones and JT Benson who have both had really good at bats so far tonight. Yeah, I spoke wrong. I meant Graham Brown will be up second. Again, another very, very fast outfielder for the Otter. A base hit into the outfield would almost definitely score a man with that speed. Anyway, Mendum will come up to plate. Colette is still in there for the Grizzlies. First pitch from Colette ripped towards second baseman. So it will be a quick out number one, but the runner does advance to third. So a very similar situation to what we just saw with one away. That will bring up LJ Jones. I’ll tell you what, Mum stepped over to the play was looking first pitch fast ball and could do some damage. Got the first pitch fast ball. Hard hit on the ground. Just got on top of it a little bit. How able to make the play but productive nonetheless getting the runner over at third. LJ Jones, the fifth round pick in 2020 by the St. Louis Cardinals. He takes the first pitch up out of the zone. Remember that was a year they only had five rounds. The Cardinals thought he was that good. They picked him and he’s shown, you know, so far this preseason, so far this year, he’s got some pop in that bat and right now just needs to elevate something. That pitch you’ll take low for ball two. Again, base open. You if you do walk this guy, you set up the double play. So, be interesting to see how they attack him. They know his power. They know his danger and looks like they will just go ahead and intentionally walk him and put him on. So that will bring up JT Benson. So an intentional walk will get the runners on the corners. A slow walk from the manager. Looks like they will go with the bullpen pitcher. And after we take a short break, we’ll be back with some more information on them as the Otterers try to take this one in extra innings. For the last 5 years, the Evansville African-American Museum and the Evansville Otterers have partnered together to offer tickets at no cost for the whole family for the Junth Negro Leagues baseball tribute. All are invited to celebrate Junth with us on June 19th for the annual Salute to the Negro Leagues game. Pregame activities start at 4:30 with first pitch scheduled for 505. For information on these tickets, fans can stop by the Evansville African-American Museum at 579 Sandre Matthews Way in Evansville or any local Evansville Vanderberg Public Library. Maintaining our independence becomes more and more vital as we age. Swarka and More can help you navigate this important journey by answering your questions and connecting you to free and unbiased community resources and support services. If you are seeking advice for yourself or a loved one, let SWA be your first call. More information available at swerka.org or by calling 812-4647800. Back here in historic Bossy Field as it’s Matt Hickey, the right-handed pitcher in his fourth pro season who’s called in to try to get the Grizzlies out of this jam. Hickey in his second season with the Grizzlies, pitching 41 games last year, had a 211 RA, had four saves, threw 46 Ks, only 17 walks in 42 and two-3 innings in 2024. He played two years in the St. Louis Cardinals organization. He was a recent drafty back in 2022 in the 15th round by the Cardinals. Obviously trying to get the Grizzlies out of a big spot here, but it will be JT Benson, the 23-year-old outfielder who’s going to have the biggest opportunity of the night for the Potters. Benson already one for two today. Walked, doubled. Be interesting to see if they play double play depth with the speed that Benson has. If he beats it out in the run score, that’s not win. It’s going to be interesting to see. I don’t know how good he is with the bunt. Could potentially see a bunt play with a speedster on third and a speedster at first or at the plate rather. Could try to go with that. I’m guessing the corners will probably be playing in, but looks like second and short will be playing at double play depth. So, right now, if they can if he can hit something slow at the middle, elevate something, Otter will have a chance to win. First pitch in there for a strike as Hickey goes in with a side winder. 76 mph slider there. Hickey will come up. Here is the pitch. That one in there for strike two. JT Benson didn’t think so. Neither did the crowd here. Our zone says it just caught the bottom corner of the plate, but now he has to battle here. Down 02. Comes the O2 pitch. That one slider out. You see there’s a little bit of a different delivery from him. Whenever he’s throwing fast ball, it’s straight up. Whenever it goes off speed or at least a slider, it’s a little bit sidewinder. So something that these hitters kind of got to take advantage of. One two count now here from Hickeyi. The pitch that one fouled off. Great battle here from Benson. Construction. Benson comes back into the zone into the batters box. Hickeyi come gets the sign and now will come set. Glances over at first. Now we’ll come in. Pitch help and that’s going to do it. The Otter will win in a walk up fashion. Three to two is the final as JT Benson plays the heroes. A game full of ups and downs, a big roller line. It ends up with an honors victory. And we’ll have more in 45 minutes. After a short break, we’ll come back with a short recap for you. Maintaining our independence becomes more and more vital as we age. Swarka and Moore can help you navigate this important journey by answering your questions and connecting you to free and unbiased community resources and support services. If you are seeking advice for yourself or a loved one, let Swa be your first call. More information available at swarka.org or by calling 812-464-7800. Originally opening in 2004, Jacob’s Village has been a home for adults with disabilities, giving these great residents a wonderful opportunity to live life just like you and me. Jacob’s Village mission is to continue building a safe, walkable neighborhood community where people with disabilities and older adults can find meaningful relationships, affordable and accessible housing, and activities to keep their bodies and minds engaged. We can’t wait to have Jacob’s Village at the ballpark on July 3rd for our annual Red, White, and Blue Night. More information on this great community partner is available at jacobsvillage.org. Back here in Evansville, Indiana at the Otter in exciting fashion win eight or win three to two in eight innings after a back andforth game. A very very well pitched game all around. But specifically from the Otter, Parker Brahms went out there early, pitched six innings or pitched into the sixth inning rather. He did a great job setting up the Otter. Two-run double from Keenan Taylor. Got the Otter on the board early, but Donovan Burke for the Grizzlies did a great job shutting down the Otter afterwards. And then it was once again Friedrich. A two-run bomb to tie it up. Went through the seventh inning scoreless. Great job by Griff Hughes who will get the win shutting them down the top of the eighth inning with that free runner on second. And then JT Benson with one out, runners on the corners. A huge hit up the middle will get the Otterers their first win of the victory. With that, they’ll go to one and one on the season as will the Gateway Grizzlies. And well, we have more later today. Absolutely. I mean, that was just that’s a win. That’s a season defining win. I know it’s only the second game of the year, right? But after the way that last night ended and looking like, “Oh, here we go again. Same story tonight.” For them to put their heads down to for us to come out and pitch his butt off and then the the offense to come out and reward him for that. It’s massive. Yeah. And only five hits on the day. Obviously, Taylor had that two two RBI double. Ray Gil got a base hit. David Mindam got a hit. He also walked twice and he got intentionally walked there in the or actually advanced a runner. So he he got a sacrifice hit, but then it was JT Benson. Two hits on the day, the RBI. He also walked. Fantastic job from JT Benson to get the Otterers that win overall. It’s a huge, huge win. Like you said, season defining that set you guys that set you in the right direction, especially what you can do later tonight. Even if you don’t come out victorious, you at least get one. You get one of two against you’re already got one one you’re already one and one against one of the best teams in the league. Now you can have a chance to go out there, win the series and really set yourself up in the right direction going forward. Absolutely. And this second game really going to be fun to see how these two teams respond in the rubber match. Exactly. Like I said, we’ll have that in about 30 or so minutes and we’ll be back on here to get you guys started when that happens. Don’t go anywhere. So, we got another fun one coming.

Game 1 of a Doubleheader between the Otters and Grizzlies