Five players had at least two hits to lead a balanced offensive attack as the visiting Florence Freedom (6-6) posted an 8-3 win over the Evansville Otters (9-4) in Frontier League baseball action Tuesday night at Bosse Field.

Third baseman Tim Grogan, a former Covington Catholic High star, collected his first career triple and blasted a solo home run to lead the Freedom to their first win after three straight losses to begin the current road trip.

Evansville stayed in first place in the West Division despite the defeat. The Otters have now dropped four games in a row after starting the season with nine straight wins.

The two teams were tied at 1-1 heading into the fourth inning when the Freedom loaded the bases with no outs against Evansville starter Adam Rogers (2-1). Designated hitter Nick Salotti then knocked in a pair of runs with a double into the right field corner, and first baseman John Welch followed with another two-run double down the left field line to stretch the lead to 5-1. The Freedom tacked on single runs in the fifth, sixth and ninth innings to pad their advantage.

Florence left-hander Chris Ingoglia (2-1) made the lead stand up with seven innings of four-hit pitching. Ingoglia, a native of Port St. Lucie, Fla., allowed three runs (two earned) to go with five strikeouts and two walks on the way to his second consecutive win. Right-hander Yosandy Ibanez retired six straight over the final two innings to nail down the victory and help the Freedom return to the .500 mark. Ingoglia and Ibanez combined to set down the final 14 Evansville batters in order.

Rogers, who entered the game with a 1.38 earned-run average, was roughed up for seven runs (six earned) on ten hits in six innings. First baseman Tycen Povey highlighted the night for Evansville’s offense with a two-run homer in the fourth, his first as an Otter.

Welch produced a game-high three hits for the Freedom, while left fielder Ryan Basham chipped in with a double, a single, a run scored and an RBI. Center fielder Garth McKinney went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored.

Tuesday’s game marked the return to the lineup of Florence catcher Josh Lex. Sidelined by a pulled quad muscle suffered in the late innings of the team’s season-opening loss to Kalamazoo May 21, Lex had not played since. The Elk Grove, Calif., native went 1-for-4 in his return to active duty, and caught all nine innings.

The Freedom and Otters continue their series at 8:05 p.m. EDT Wednesday at Bosse Field. Left-hander Josh Bruns (1-0) will be on the mound for Florence. He’ll be opposed by Evansville southpaw Ben Foster (1-0).