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RECAP | Otters shut down Lake Erie comeback attempt to win final home game, series
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EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The Evansville Otters (59-37) overcame a comeback attempt to win the final regular season home game and series against the Lake Erie Crushers (39-56) on Sunday afternoon, 7-6.
Garret Simpson got the start for Evansville against Cobe Reeves for Lake Erie.
It was all Otters to start, bringing in two runs in the first inning on a groundout and an RBI double from Blake Robertson.
They would extend the lead in the fourth inning, Amani Jones bringing in a third run before a two-run single from Robertson would make it 5-0.
Lake Erie got on the board in the top of the fifth inning, bringing in three runs. Evansville responded with two more in the bottom half, Jon Ponder’s two-run double making it 7-3.
Simpson finished with a quality start, his fifth of the season.
The Crushers made things interesting in the top of the eighth, bringing in three more runs to make it a one-run game. Alex Valdez would strike out back-to-back hitters to end the eighth.
Junior Cerda got the ninth in the close game and converted his 20th save of the season, good for the most in the Frontier League this season.
Evansville is now 59-37, finishing 8-4 against Lake Erie in 2026. They are now seven games ahead of the Y’alls for the first Wild Card spot with Florence’s loss against Washington.
Sunday’s win marked the final regular season games against Central Division opponents for the Otters this year. Evansville finishes with a split or positive record against each team from the division, 6-6 vs. Washington, 9-3 vs. Florence and 8-4 vs. Lake Erie, good for a 23-13 overall divisional record in 2026.
The Otters have an off-day tomorrow before the last series of the regular season, Evansville facing the Down East Bird Dawgs on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. CT at Grainger Stadium. The series marks the first-ever games between the two teams since Down East joined the Frontier League ahead of the 2025 season.
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.
