EVANSVILLE, Ind. – A single game in Evansville was enough for the Otters to sow seeds of doubt among some Quebec Capitales fans. Many already seemed ready to celebrate the team’s triumph in the Frontier Baseball League finals.
After taking a 2-0 lead in this 3-of-5 series in Quebec earlier in the week, the Capitales suffered a 14-5 loss at legendary Bosse Field on Friday night.
With its red bricks, green wooden benches and nostalgic atmosphere, the old stadium, which opened in 1915, has something to delight baseball lovers. However, there is no question whether the Capitals will be lulled by this location.
Starter Steven Fuentes struggled on the mound for Quebec, giving up three home runs and six total runs, including five earned, in just three innings.
Frontier League Rookie of the Year Noah Myers set the tone for the Otters with a long ball on Fuentes’ first pitch of the game. Dakota Phillips and Justin Felix also hit home runs against the Panamanian. The Evansville players managed a total of six “bombs” in this game, to the great delight of the assembled fans.
The Otters also benefited from the presence of two players who were not in Quebec for the first two games of the finals due to customs issues: Jeffrey Baez and Jomar Reyes. Baez also filled the fourth spot in Evansville’s offensive lineup. Reyes is one of six different Otters players to have made a long ball.
After forcing the Capitals to perform magical performances in Quebec, the Otters showed that they have a very good team, especially at home.
Ramirez and Saldana available
Manager Patrick Scalabrini praised the quality of his next starters before the Capitals traded to Indiana. However, he will now have to hope for improvement from Ruben Ramirez on Saturday if he wants to avoid a submission to a final on Sunday. In such a case, Abdiel Saldana would be the pitcher for the Quebec team.
In Capitals camp, Ruben Castro and Greg Bird each scored two points. Castro and Bird rounded out the night with three goals each in four appearances. Bird hit a double while the Capitals were batting in the first inning to force Justin Gideon to the plate. Despite the loss, Quebec scored 12 goals.
- There was only one out on the bases for the Capitals heading into the sixth inning, but Juremi Profar was struck out. Quebecer David Glaude was then hit by a shot to cut the deficit to 9-5 in favor of the Otters, but Jesmuel Valentin followed with a long ball to right field.
- At the start of the eighth, the Capitals filled the cushion with just one out. This time Glaude and Valentin were both beaten by substitute Leoni De La Cruz.