Looking to setup a rubber-match in the series finale on Sunday, the Florence Freedom, presented by Titan Mechanical Solutions, came alive late in a, 6-4, victory over the Evansville Otters on Saturday night at UC Health Stadium.
With the Freedom (12-7) and the Otters (11-9) tied at 4 in the bottom of the eighth, Austin Wobrock singled off Brandon Presley (0-1) to lead off the frame before Ryan Rinsky laid down a sacrifice bunt to push the go-ahead run to second. Brandon Pugh responded with his second base-hit of the game, an infield single that put runners on the corners. After Connor Crane popped out for the second out of the inning, Isaac Benard laced a seed to right that looked to carom off the yellow line on the top of the wall for a homer, but was ruled a long single as Wobrock and Pugh scored to push Florence in front, 6-4.
Johnathon Tripp entered in search of his fourth save of the season in the ninth, and quickly converted it, facing the minimum and adding a strikeout to preserve the two-run victory. After tossing a clean top half of the eighth, Ryan Mordecai (2-1) would take the win in relief.
For the second time in as many nights it was the Otters who scored first in the ballgame, Jack Meggs touching Florence starter, Ryan Hill for an RBI-single in the visitors half of the second.
The Freedom took their first lead of the series with a four-run bottom of the fourth off Otters starter, Jake Welch. Caleb Lopes started the big inning by reaching on an error by Evansville shortstop, J.J. Gould to put a runner at first. Ricky Ramirez Jr. and Wobrock both singled in the frame, the latter earning an RBI as Lopes crossed home plate to even the score at, 1. With the bases loaded, Pugh then shot a line-drive double down the line in left, scoring two more as the home team moved in front, 3-1. Crane then added to his team-leading RBI total, plating his fourteenth run of the season with an infield single that scored Pugh and made it a three-run game.
Evansville would eventually deadlock the score, getting two runs in the top of the fifth courtesy RBI-knocks from Hunter Cullen, who doubled, and Meggs who added his second run-scoring single of the contest as the Otters pulled within one at, 4-3. Cullen tied the game facing right-handed reliever, Brian McKenna in the seventh, crushing his second homer of the series and fifth of the season into the Freedom bullpen in right.
Both starting pitchers would earn no-decisions in the affair, with Florence hurler Ryan Hill spanning 4.1 innings and scattering six hits that led to three runs with four walks and one strikeout. Welch left after 6 innings, allowing a pair of earned runs on four hits with three walks and two strikeouts.
These two teams will meet in the finale of their weekend series on Sunday at UC Health Stadium. Left-hander, Mike Castellani (2-0) will toe the slab for the Freedom, opposite righty Patrick McGuff (3-0) for the Otters with first pitch slated for 5:35 p.m. in Florence. The contest will be a rubber-match of the three-game set.
The Florence Freedom are members of the Independent Frontier League and play all home games at UC Health Stadium located at 7950 Freedom Way in Florence, KY. The Freedom can be found online at florencefreedom.com, or by phone at (859) 5