EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Artemis Kadkhodaian muscled an opposite-field line drive to right field that scored two runs and tied the game with two outs in the sixth inning, but the Evansville Otters came back with the game’s final six runs to hand the Gateway Grizzlies their second straight loss Thursday night at Bosse Field.
Evansville (12-11) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning on three hits and two walks. Grizzlies pitchers walked seven Otters in total.
Gateway (11-13) scored three runs in the top of the sixth inning to tie the game. Joel McKeithan notched an RBI single — his second of the game — before Kadkhodaian’s two-run single evened the ballgame.
Evansville answered right back with three in the home half of the sixth and three more in the eighth. The Otters posted 17 hits.
Grizzlies starter Dakota Smith went 4 1/3 innings and allowed five runs (all earned). He did not factor in the decision. Patrick Boyle and Grant Black relieved Smith, and they both allowed three runs (all earned).
Kadkhodaian added three walks to his 1-for-2 performance. Trae Santos walked twice and picked up another RBI single.
Gateway will return home to GCS Credit Union Ballpark for a seven-game homestand starting Friday night against the Florence Freedom.
In other Grizzlies news, former Gateway righthander Trevor Richards started Thursday afternoon for the Miami Marlins against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Gateway manager Phil Warren spoke about watching Richards, a St. Louis area native, return to the big leagues and pitch only a few miles from where he’d started his professional career in 2015 with the Grizzlies.
