DANVILLE, Va. — Fireworks lit up the Danville sky on Friday night, but it was not for a victory. The Otterbots fell at the hands of the Burlington Sock Puppets, 4-3, after a well-fought nine innings on both sides.
The offense began in the second inning, when the Sock Puppets’ shortstop, Jeter Polledo, smacked an RBI double to center field. The Otterbots responded with a dynamic shot over the left-field wall by catcher Antonio Cordeiro, tying the game at 1-1.
“It was like a sigh of relief,” Cordeiro said. “To see that one go over felt really good.”
Burlington came out swinging in the top of the third with two more runs led by Zach Jackson, who smacked a triple down the right-field line. Avery Smith followed in the at-bat after with a single to drive the right fielder in.
The offense took a break in the fourth and fifth innings, but in the sixth, Chance Jennings brought home the Sock Puppets’ fourth run on a sacrifice fly. The Otterbots had a couple of opportunities to cut into the lead but could not capitalize.
“The kids are competing. They are playing hard,” Danville manager Mickey Tettleton said. “It’s just right now, we’re trying to find ways to lose games, and unfortunately we’re finding them.”
The eighth inning provided some life for the home crowd, as Cordeiro came through again. The second-year Otterbot shot a single into right-center field, driving home teammates Christian Hamilton and Mason Pangborn.
Danville could not put a rally together in the bottom of the ninth and fell to 1-7 on the season.
Despite the games not turning out as they had hoped, Cordeiro believes his team can turn it around. “The way it’s going hasn’t been bad at all because we started out obviously not great, but ever since, the last few games, we’ve played really good," he said. "I think it’s going to click here really soon for us.”
The Otterbots face Burlington (6-2) again on Saturday, June 14, with the first pitch at 7 p.m. The Bots have shown life, even if their record says otherwise.
“The last three games, we were right there,” Tettleton said. “We’ve just got to find a way to get over that hump, get a couple wins under our belt.
“The wins and losses are really not that important to me, but how we go about it, how they [the players] go about it, that’s extremely important to me.”
For more information on 2025 single-game tickets, season tickets, corporate partnerships and group outings, email matt@danvilleotterbots.com or call the Otterbots front office at 434-554-4487. The Danville Otterbots will play their home games at American Legion Field at Dan Daniel Memorial Park.
