Lake Erie Crushers News & Game Recaps

Comeback Cut Short

Crushers rally but fall short in 6-4 loss to Boomers

Box Link: https://frontierleague.com/sports/bsb/2022-23/boxscores/20230817_hlsb.xml

AVON, Ohio — The Lake Erie Crushers saw a come from behind effort fall two runs short at Mercy Health Stadium on Thursday night, as they dropped their series finale to the Schaumburg Boomers, 6-4.

The loss for Crushers (32-49) was their third in their last four games, while the win for the Boomers (47-33) gives them six in nine games against Lake Erie this season.

The start of the game was delayed 91 minutes due to rain, and there was another brief, 14 minute rain delay in the sixth inning.

Schaumburg jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first inning. Alec Craig started the game with a single to center and Chase Dawson won a nine pitch battle against Jonaiker Villalobos (2-4), as he belted a two run homer to right, his third of the season.

The Boomers added a pair of runs in the top of the third. Travis Holt and Dawson started the inning with back-to-back base hits. Gaige Howard brought Holt home on a sacrifice fly and a wild pitch allowed Dawson to score.

A pair of singles started the top of the fourth inning for the Boomers, as Zach Huffins and Will Prater belted back-to-back base hits and John Fiorenza brought Huffins home on a sacrifice fly.

Single runs came across for the Boomers in the fourth and seventh. Fiorenza’s sacrifice fly scored Huffins in the fourth and Kokko Figueiredo drove in the run in the seventh on a RBI single.

After being no-hit through six innings, the Crushers came to life in the bottom of the seventh. Sean Cheely broke up Luis Perez’s (6-4) no-hit bid with a single to right. Jackson Pritchard then got the Crushers on the board with a two run homer to left, his third of the season.

Lake Erie really made things interesting in the eighth. Scout Knotts walked to start the inning, and with two outs, he came around to score on Jarrod Watkins’s two run blast to right, his third of the year. Cheely and Pritchard followed with back-to-back singles before Zach Racusin was hit by a pitch to load the bases, but Jake Joyce retired Jiandido Tromp on a fly out to end the threat.

Perez scored the win for Schaumburg after allowing a pair of runs on two hits while fanning seven batters in seven innings of work. Dylan Stutsman (6) struck out the side in the ninth inning to get the save. Villalobos took the loss after allowing five runs, four earned on nine hits with four strikeouts through five innings.

The Crushers will continue their six game home stand and begin a new three game series with the Gateway Grizzlies at Mercy Health Stadium on Friday night. Right-hander Stephen Chamblee (3-5, 6.71) will get the start for the Crushers and the first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM.