Valleycats fall in series finale against Otters
TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Tri-City ValleyCats (15-15) dropped the rubber game 15-4 to the Evansville Otters (11-19) on Thursday at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium.
Evansville got on the board in the first. Mason White greeted Jhon Vargas with a single. Vargas threw the ball away on a pickoff attempt, and White went to third. The right-handed starter then uncorked a wild pitch to give the Otters a 1-0 lead.
Tri-City responded in the bottom of the first. Jaxon Hallmark singled to start the frame. Dylan Broderick singled Hallmark to third. Alec Olund grounded into a double play, and Hallmark scored to tie the game, 1-1.
Evansville pulled ahead in the fourth. Justin Felix hit a solo homer. Two batters later, Glenn Miller walked, and David Mendham reached on an error from Elvis Peralta. Randy Bednar walked to load the bases. Pavin Parks singled in a run, but Olund threw out Medham at the plate to keep the deficit at 3-1.
Olund launched his third homer of the season to make it a 3-2 ballgame in the bottom of the fourth.
The Otters had an 11-run fifth highlighted by a two-run blast from Mendham against Max Steffens to put Evansville on top, 14-2.
Mendham struck again in the sixth with a double. Bednar advanced him to third with a single. Jomar Reyes drove in Mendham with an RBI groundout to pull the Otters ahead, 15-2.
Broderick singled in the bottom of the sixth. Oscar Campos moved Broderick to second with a single. Ian Walters knocked in Broderick with a single to trim the deficit to 15-3.
Chip Korbacher walked Broderick to begin the eighth. Three batters later, Walters cashed in with his second RBI, this time a double, to make it a 15-4 affair. Korbacher retired Ryan Cash to end the eighth, and Ryan Wiltse finished off the game with a scoreless ninth.
Smith (2-4) earned the win. He tossed seven innings, yielding three runs on eight hits, walking one, and striking out three.
Vargas (4-1) received the loss. He tossed four-plus frames, allowing nine runs on 11 hits, walking three, and striking out two.
Tri-City begins a three-game road trip against the Trois-Rivières Aigles tomorrow, Friday, June 14th. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM.