News
RECAP | Otters take opener in Joan Gonzalez's return to Otters
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The Evansville Otters (52-33) started a huge series with a low-scoring win in game one against the Washington Wild Things (33-49) on Tuesday night, 4-1.
Joan Gonzalez made his first start with the Otters in 2026 against Zach Kirby for Washington.
Jon Ponder immediately started the game with his seventh home run, the third Otters leadoff home run of the season.
Chris Kwitzer would single in Blake Robertson from third in the second inning to make it 2-0.
J. Gonzalez was dominant in his return to the Otters staff, throwing four scoreless innings with seven strikeouts.
The Otters brought home a third run in the fifth inning, Marcos Gonzalez taking a walk that brought in Sam Linscott.
Washington got a run back in the sixth on a home run, but Evansville’s bullpen had another great day.
A fourth run came in for the Otters in the seventh on an LG Castillo single.
Joe Morrissey and Alex Valdez would both pick up the hold while Junior Cerda converted his 16th save of the season with a 1-2-3 ninth inning to give the Otters the win.
The Otters are now 52-33, clinching a winning record for the 18th time in franchise history. The pitching staff struck out 13 Wild Things and held the bottom three in the order to an 0-for-10 with seven strikeouts.
Evansville looks to take a crucial series against the Wild Things tomorrow starting at 5:05 p.m. CT at EQT Park.
All games can be heard on 96.9 WYIR and the Otters Digital Network and can be viewed live on the Frontier League Network on HTN.
The Evansville Otters are the 2006 and 2016 Frontier League champions.
The Otters play all home games at EVSC’s Historic Bosse Field, located at 23 Don Mattingly Way in Evansville, Ind. Stay up to date with the Evansville Otters by visiting evansvilleotters.com, or follow the Otters on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
For more information, visit evansvilleotters.com or call (812) 435-8686.
