The Florence Freedom, presented by Titan Mechanical Solutions, dropped the opening game of Saturday’s doubleheader by a score of 2-0 before fighting for an extra-inning, 8-5 victory in the nightcap at Bosse Field.
In the opening game, Freedom (31-14) starter Marty Anderson (6-2) held the Otters (25-19) scoreless through the first three innings, stranding a total of five baserunners in the process. In the fourth, however, Evansville loaded the bases on two hit batsmen and an intentional walk. Anderson then walked John Schultz and hit Jeff Gardner with a pitch, forcing home two runs.
Anderson would rebound to toss scoreless fifth and sixth innings, but Max Duval (6-2) outdueled the Freedom left-hander, holding Florence scoreless through his six innings and striking out eight. Florence collected seven hits and drew five walks, but left 11 baserunners stranded in the game, including getting back-to-back two-out singles in the seventh off Kyano Cummings before Andrew Godbold flew out to deep center field to end the game.
In the second game, Schultz doubled in two runs off Freedom starter Sam Brunner in the first inning for a 2-0 Otters lead. Florence used a Taylor Oldham RBI-double and an Andre Mercurio sacrifice fly to tie the score in the top of the third against starter Jason Broussard in his final inning of work.
Evansville briefly regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth on a sacrifice fly to the warning track in left field, but the Freedom pulled even at 3-3 immediately in the sixth, as Godbold doubled, then stole third and scored on an errant throw by catcher Kolten Yamaguchi on the play.
Loading the bases in the seventh against reliever Rob Tasin, Florence took its first lead of the game as Mercurio drew a walk and Godbold was hit by a pitch to force home one run each. But with Enrique Zamora (1-0) on the mound in the bottom half, the Otters responded with a rally.
A Nick Walker single followed by a Brandon Soat double placed runners on second and third. Josh Allen grounded out to short to bring Evansville within one run, and after two walks loaded the bases, Schultz singled to right field. Soat scored the tying run from third, but right fielder Collins Cuthrell threw out Dane Phillips at the plate as he attempted to slide in with the winning run.
The Freedom then intentionally walked league home run leader Jeff Gardner to load the bases before Zamora sent the game to extra innings by inducing a fielder’s-choice grounder.
With Austin Sweet (2-2) taking over on the mound in the eighth for the Otters, Austin Wobrock delivered a one-out, pinch-hit single. Daniel Fraga walked and Oldham was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Wobrock raced home with the go-ahead run when Sweet uncorked a wild pitch to the backstop. Jose Brizuela followed with a two-RBI double to pad the Freedom’s lead to 8-5, and rookie Matt Kaster retired the side in the bottom of the eighth to secure the victory.
The win helped the Freedom avoid the series sweep, but the two-games-to-one series loss was the team’s first against a West Division team this season.
The Freedom will next travel to Traverse City, Michigan for a three-game series against the Traverse City Beach Bums. The series opens on Tuesday with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Wuerfel Park.
Florence Freedom