Rascals Defeat Otters 1-0

River City pitcher Josh Lowey is used to a lack of run support. For some reason, the Rascals' offense seems to take the day off when Lowey steps on the hill.    

On Monday, the Rascals bats were asleep again.    

But the defense stepped up big time to finally give Lowey his much-earned first win of the season. Lowey, with some Gold Glove-type help, threw 7 1/3 shutout innings to lead the Rascals to a 1-0 victory over the Evansville Otters in a Frontier League contest before 79 fans at .    

The Rascals improved 14-8 with their third win in a row. They have won eight of their last 11 contests. Evansville is a league-worst 5-17.    

Lowey's lack of offensive support has become an alarming trend. The Rascals have scored just 12 runs in his five starts this season including a paltry four runs over his last three efforts.    

"We joke around with it," Lowey said. "But, it is a little frustrating."    

Lowey, who improved to 1-2, got plenty support on Monday - of the defensive variety. And that was all he needed.    

"I felt pretty good out there," he said. Lowey gave up six hits, struck out four and walked two in his most impressive outing of the season.    

"He kept the ball down for the most part," said River City manager Steve Brook. "And made good pitches when he had to."    

Lowey deflected most of the credit to his defense, which turned in one fine effort after another in the snappily played two hour and 32 minute contest    

"We made some great plays out there," Lowey said. "Chris McClendon saved a couple runs with that play in the middle of the game."    

The Rascals turned in three web gems in the field. McClendon, at third, made a driving stop of a hard-hit grounder with two on in the seventh to end a threat. Left fielder Chad Maddox gunned down Korby Mintken at the dish with a rocket-like throw to end the fifth. Shortstop Bobby Burk made a nifty barehanded play of a grounder leading off the eighth.   

Relievers Kirkland Rivers and Derrick Miramontes were just as successful as Lowey. Rivers retired four of the five batters he faced with two strikeouts. Miramontes came on to record the final out for his third save of the season.    McClendon drove in the lone run of the game with a two-out double in the fifth. Catcher Danny Sawyer scored from second on the shot into the left-center field gap. Sawyer was hit by a pitch with one away.   

River City first baseman Joash Brodin extended his season-best hitting streak to eight games with a single in the fourth.  The Rascals managed just five hits against two different pitchers including Evansville's Scott Kelley, who allowed just one run and four hits over seven innings.   

The win capped off a short three-game homestand.      

NOTES FROM DAWG POUND 

• Former River City ace Gary Moran picked up a win in his first appearance with the Class A Rome Braves on Saturday. Moran allowed three runs in three-plus innings of relief for the Atlanta Braves farm club.    
• River City has added infielder Nick DeBiasse to its roster. DeBiasse played part of his career at Rice University in Houston. He is also a former All-American at Central Missouri State University of Warrensburg.    
• Zack Sterner (2-0, 2.28 ERA) will start for the Rascals on Tuesday night against Evansville's Kyle Barry (1-2, 5.32). The series concludes with a rare weekday afternoon game Wednesday at 11 a.m.   
• River City is 8-1 when scoring the first run of the game this season.