EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WEVV) — The Evansville Otters dominated the Lake Erie Crushers 18-2 on Tuesday night, scoring six runs in the first inning to set the tone for their fifth consecutive victory.
Dennis Pierce started the offensive surge with a two-run home run to right field. LG Castillo, T.J. Salvaggio and Jon Ponder all drove in runs during the first inning before Lake Erie’s starting pitcher Andres Parra exited due to an injury after facing just eight batters.
The Otters extended their lead to 8-0 in the third inning when Salvaggio hit a two-run home run to dead center field. Evansville continued to pile on runs, reaching double digits in the fourth inning and adding more in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
Ben Petschke dominated on the mound for the Otters, throwing six scoreless innings while giving up just two hits and three walks with three strikeouts. Lake Erie’s only runs came on a two-run home run in the seventh inning.
Nathan Anderson closed out the game with three innings of relief, striking out two without allowing a walk to earn his first professional save.
The Otters improved to 22-11, reaching 11 games over .500 for the first time this season.
Evansville has outscored opponents 51-11 during their five-game winning streak. The series continues in Avon with the middle game starting at 5:30 p.m. CT at ForeFront Field.