Exhibition #6: RailCats at Evansville

The RailCats are 2-0 against the Frontier League so far this exhibition season...Today its another Frontier League club, a team in transition with the Evansville Otters...Evansville Manager Andy McCauley took over just before the All-Star break last season and enters his first full season with the club hoping to reverse a trend of four straight losing seasons after the team won a title in 2006...

UPDATE: Still awaiting the start of the game...

11:35 - Evansville takes the field...

Gametime conditions...As I was told by Tom Thornton...Cold for Evansville standards...76 Degrees, Partly sunny...Yesterday the temp was in the mid-80s...

TOP FIRST
And we are underway...First pitch at 11:37 am...
This pitcher looks legit...He was in Double-A last year...
Adam Klein grounded out to shortstop (ONE OUT)...
Mike Massaro struck out swinging (TWO OUTS)...
Brad Boyer struck out swinging...
RAILCATS 0, EVANSVILLE 0

BOTTOM FIRST
Greg Burns reached on an error...
Joe Spiers struck out looking (ONE OUT)...
Burns stole second...
Vinnie Scarduzio reached on a fielder's choice and moved to second on the run down...Burns out between second and third 1-6-5 (TWO OUTS)...
Mike Durant grounded out to short...
RAILCATS 0, EVANSVILLE 0

TOP SECOND
Look out!!! Cristian Guerrero knocks Evansville pitcher Jeremy Thorne in the throwing hand with a comebacker...
Guerrero reaches with an infield single...
Thorne is ok..Shakes it off and back to work...
Lou Ott singles just out of the reach of shortstop Korby Mintken into short left...
Kyle Haines struck out swinging (ONE OUT)...
Mike Valadez grounded into an inning ending double play (6-4-3)
RAILCATS 0, EVANSVILLE 0

BOTTOM SECOND
Jamar Walton grounded out to first (ONE OUT)...
Greg Alexander struck out looking (TWO OUTS)...
Jon Waltenbury grounded out to second...
RAILCATS 0, EVANSVILLE 0

TOP THIRD
End of the game for the uber impressive Thorne...This guy is going to be an ace in the Frontier League...Final line... 2IP, 2H, 3K...
RHP Scott Kelley now in the game...
Toddric Johnson flew out to center, good running. sliding, grab by Burns (ONE OUT)...
SIDEBAR: This Kelley guy is also bringing it and consistently around the zone...I see a lot of improvement in this Evansville team...
Chris Carrara tucked a rolling single inside the first base line...
Carrara hustles to second on a ball in the dirt...Wild pitch...
Klein flew out to short left (TWO OUTS)...
Massaro, in his second game of the spring, struck out swinging...
RAILCATS 0, EVANSVILLE 0

BOTTOM THIRD
P.J. Sequiera reached on a throwing error by the shortstop...
Billy Killian smashed a liner off the glove of Ott at first base and into right field...Sequiera moves to third...
Korby Mintken flew out to short center (ONE OUT)...Sequiera bluffed at a tag but Massaro rifled the ball to the plate...
Burns strikes out looking (TWO OUTS) - Third K for Nicholson...
Spiers Baltimore Chops to second...Evansville leaves two on...
RAILCATS 0, EVANSVILLE 0

TOP FOURTH
Boyer drew a leadoff walk...Boyer stole second...
Guerrero struck out swinging (ONE OUT)...
Ott struck out looking (TWO OUTS)...
Haines grounded out to second...
RAILCATS 0, EVANSVILLE 0

BOTTOM FOURTH
Scarduzio struck out swinging (ONE OUT)...
Durant doubled off the wall in center...
Walton with a bad hop double over the glove of Ott and into right field...Durant scores...
EVANSVILLE 1, RAILCATS 0
Alexander grounded to third, even with the bag (TWO OUTS)...
Waltenbury lined out to left...
EVANSVILLE 1, RAILCATS 0

TOP FIFTH
RHP Kyle Barry on for Evansville...He is a returning Otter...
Valadez lined out to first (ONE OUT)...
Johnson singled past the glove of shortstop Korby Mintken...Fourth RailCat hit of the game...
Johnson caught stealing 2-6 (TWO OUTS)...Seemed like he got a solid jump as well...Great throw by the catcher Killian...
Carrara popped out to second...
EVANSVILLE 1, RAILCATS 0

BOTTOM FIFTH
Sequiera singled through the right side...
Killian flew out to short center (ONE OUT)...
Mintken doubled deep to left over the head of Klein...Sequiera scored...Mintken moved to third on the relay...
EVANSVILLE 2, RAILCATS 0
Burns popped out to second (TWO OUTS)...
Spiers singled up the middle...Mintken scored...
EVANSVILLE 3, RAILCATS 0
Spiers stole second on a double clutch throw from Valadez behind the pipe...
Scarduzio singled through the right side...Spiers scored...
EVANSVILLE 4, RAILCATS 0
Durant recorded a single through the left side of the infield...Scarduzio held at second...
Walton hit a hard grounder to second to end the inning...
Evansville scores three runs on five hits...
EVANSVILLE 4, RAILCATS 0

TOP SIXTH
Brandon Fowler to catcher...Toby Davis to second base...Dave Kahn to center field...Jace Brinkerhoff to third base...
Klein lined out to left (ONE OUT)...
Massaro struck out swinging for the third time in the game (TWO OUTS)...
Boyer struck out swinging...
EVANSVILLE 4, RAILCATS 0

BOTTOM SIXTH
Brian Kolb to third base...Jeff Beachum in at first...
Alexander lined out deep to left (ONE OUT)...
Waltenbury singled up the middle...
Jace Brinkerhoff rolled into a nicely turned double play 4-6-3...
EVANSVILLE 4, RAILCATS 0

TOP SEVENTH
LHP Patrick Crider on to pitch for Evansville
Guerrero grounded out to short (ONE OUT)...
Ott struck out swinging (TWO OUTS)...
Beachum flew out to right...
EVANSVILLE 4, RAILCATS 0

BOTTOM SEVENTH
LHP Jeremy Hauer on to pitch, a couple lefties due up for Evansville...
Johnny Bowden behind the plate...
Final line on Nicholson...6IP, 9H, 4R, 4ER, 0BB, 4K...
Brandon Fowler struck out looking (ONE OUT)...
Korby Mintken, a starter still in the game, struck out swinging (TWO OUTS)...
Dave Kahn struck out swinging...Say hello Jeremy Hauer...Only slated to throw one inning...Struck out the side in order...Could it be a return to form from the 2009 Northern League Championship Series???
EVANSVILLE 4, RAILCATS 0

TOP EIGHTH
RHP Chris Rollins taking over on the hill...Rollins logged time with the Otters last season and was the #1 overall draft choice by Oakland County in the Frontier League draft a few years back...
SIDEBAR: Its definetly getting hotter here in Evansville...
Haines walked to open the inning...
Valadez nearly breaks up the shutout...Lining a double into right-center to almost score Haines, who was held up at the last minute by third base coach C.J. Thieleke...
Johnson fouled out to third (ONE OUT)...
Carrara takes advantage of a miscommunication as the right fielder and second baseman fail to decide who wants the pop up, the ball drops in for a single...Haines scores...
EVANSVILLE 4, RAILCATS 1
Klein worked a lengthy at bat and almost rolled into a double play but Toby Davis had some issues at second, almost failing to record any out (TWO OUTS)...Valadez scored...
EVANSVILLE 4, RAILCATS 2
Massaro struck out swinging...Fourth K of the game...
EVANSVILLE 4, RAILCATS 2

BOTTOM EIGHTH
RHP Chris Chavez on to pitch...
And not the only change...Ott in the game at third, now playing the other corner slot today...Kolb shifts to short...
Toby Davis struck out looking (ONE OUT)...
Scarduzio bounced back to Chavez (TWO OUTS)...
Durant grounded out to short...
EVANSVILLE 4, RAILCATS 2

TOP NINTH
RHP Travis LaMar taking over on the hill...LaMar was on my team last year, the Lake Erie Crushers before a trade to his hometown team after the series with Evansville...Sounds like we will play through the top of the 10th so Evansville can get another pitcher in the game...
Brian Kolb hit a laser to third, gloved by the drawn in third baseman (ONE OUT)...
Brad Boyer grounded out to second (TWO OUTS)...
Cristian Guerrero flew out to right...
EVANSVILLE 4, RAILCATS 2

BOTTOM NINTH
Walton lined out to second (ONE OUT)...
Alexander grounded out to short (TWO OUTS)...
Waltenbury grounded out to short...
EVANSVILLE 4, RAILCATS 2

TOP TENTH
RHP Kent Worthington will be the final pitcher for Evansville...Not sure who the RailCats will be sending to the plate...
Ott grounded out to second (ONE OUT)...
Beachum reached on an error by the shortstop...
Johnny Bowden reached on a fielder's choice...Beachum out at second 4-6 (TWO OUTS)...
Johnson lined out to center...Game over...
EVANSVILLE 4, RAILCATS 2