Zack Sterner Dominates Evansville Again

If Zack Sterner had his way, he would face the Evansville Otters every night.    

The River City right-hander continued his ownership of the Otters with a masterful four-hit seven-inning effort Friday night to lead the Rascals to a 13-3 record-setting victory in front of 2,740 fans at T.R. Hughes Ballpark.    

River City won for the 58th time this season, the highest single-season total in the 13-year history of the franchise.    

The Rascals set a total victory record for the third season in a row. They won 56 games in 2009 and 57 in 2010.    

"Hopefully, we can get a lot more," River City manager Steve Brook said. "This was a good night in general for a lot our guys."    

Especially Sterner. Sterner allowed one run in seven innings as he improved to 10-2, trying him for the top spot in the league with two other 10-win pitchers. He did not allow a hit until surrendering a one-out single in the sixth inning on his 70th pitch of the night.   

"I had a fastball, a two-seam sinker that was working real well for me," said Sterner.   

Sterner, a native of Franklin, Pennsylvania, turned in the finest performance of his professional career on June 19 in Evansville. He retired the first 20 batters he faced and came within one out of throwing the first perfect game in Frontier League history before giving up a single to Greg Alexander.   

On Friday, Sterner wasn't perfect, but he did manage to bamboozle the Otters, who have the worst record in the league at 31-51.   

"I tip my hat to Danny (catcher Sawyer), he's the one who calls the shots," Sterner said. "I just try and execute the pitch that Danny calls for and go from there."   

Sterner is 2-0 with an 0.90 ERA in three starts against the Otters this season.   

Overall, River City has dominated Evansville winning 20 of 22 games since the start of the 2010 campaign. The Otters last win at T.R. Hughes came on June 29, 2008.   

The lanky Sterner received plenty of help from his teammates, who put on an in-game fireworks show prior to the official post-game pyrotechnics.   

Jareck West, Joash Brodin, Logan Parker and Sawyer triggered a 17-hit attack against five different Evansville hurlers.   

West, batting in the leadoff spot for just the second time this season, went 2-for-4 and reached base three times. He helped propel an early blitz with a double in the first and a two-run single in the second. West is 5-for-9 in the No.1 hole.     

"I'm not really used to doing it," West said. "But, I'd like to stay in the leadoff spot in this keeps happening."   

Brodin, with members of his family in attendance, had three hits and reached base four times. In addition, his brother, Jared Douglas, sang a stirring rendition of God Bless America, during the seventh-inning stretch.    Parker, a former Cincinnati Reds farmhand, had three hits and drove in three runs.   

Sawyer slammed a two-run homer in the sixth to propel a four-run uprising, River City wasted little time jumping to a 6-0 lead with two runs in the first and four in the second.   

Stephen Holdren and Parker got the ball rolling with run-scoring singles in the first off Evansville starter Dan Marcacci. West started the uprising with a leadoff double that bounced off the bag at third.     West then triggered the second-inning outburst with a two-run single to push the lead to 4-0. Doug Sanders followed with a run-scoring hit. The final run of the inning came across on an error.    

Parker and Chad Maddox drove in runs in a three-run outburst in the fourth before Sawyer ripped his fifth home run of the season.   

River City led 13-0 after six innings. The Rascals, who have already clinched a playoff berth, lowered their magic number to clinch the Western Division title to seven.   

River City is 58-23. Windy City complied the most successful regular season in the history of the league with a 68-28 mark in 2007. The Rascals have 14 games left.      

NOTES FROM THE DAWG POUND:      

• Former River City pitcher Gary Moran has moved up quickly through the Atlanta Braves organization. 
• Moran is 1-1 with a 2.93 ERA at high Class A Lynchburg. He was 4-1 with 3.50 ERA in six starts at middle Class A Rome. Moran signed with Atlanta in early June.    
• The Rascals lead the Frontier League with 92 homers but they have hit just four over the last nine games.     
• Former Lindenwood University pitcher Cory Trudell pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief for Evansville on Friday. It was his second appearance for the Otters. Trudell has yet to allow an earned run.     
• River City has used 15 different starting pitchers this season.
• The Rascals will likely open the Western Division championship series against Southern Illinois with home games Sept. 7 and 8. 
• Following Sunday's contest against Evansville, which concludes a six-game homestand, the Rascals will have just three home regular season games remaining.