Crusher Bats Quiet in Loss to Miners
Lake Erie offense held to just four hits in 2-1 loss
AVON, Ohio — The Lake Erie Crushers, presented by Mercy Health, were held to just four hits at Sprenger Healthcare Stadium on Friday evening, and squandered a few chances to score, as they dropped the opening game of their three game series with the Southern Illinois Miners, 2-1.
The loss for the Crushers (12-12) marks their fourth in their last five games at home, while the win for the Miners (13-11) was their first series opening win on the road this season.
After both teams spoiled early opportunities to score through the first two innings, the Miners cashed in with a pair of runs on the top of the third. With runners at the corners and two outs, Jonathan Pryor delivered a double off the wall in left to score Arturo Nieto and Bryan Flete, giving the Miners a 2-0 advantage.
Lake Erie scored their only run in the bottom of the sixth. They had the bases loaded with one out when Aaron Hill scored on a wild pitch to bring then within a run (2-1), before Chase Cunningham (3-2) struck out Zach Racusin and Emmanuel Marrero to end the inning.
The Crushers had one more chance to tie the game at the end of the contest. Down to their final strike, Sebastian Diaz reached on third baseman Alex Santana’s throwing error, and eventually made his way to third on a wild pitch before Gabe Gentner (1) struck out Hill to end the game.
The Lake Erie bullpen was terrific, as the combination of Chris Pennell, Michael Stryffeler and Augie Gallardo combined to toss four innings of scoreless, four-hit relief on the night.
Cunningham picked up the win for the Miners, allowing just a run on four hits while fanning eight batters over 6.1 innings of work. Between Cunningham, Gentner and Brink, they struck out the Crushers 14 times on the night. Gentner picked up the save with a scoreless ninth inning, while Brink struck out all five batters he faced. Pat Ledet (1-1) suffered his first loss of the season after allowing two runs on six hits and struck out four in five innings of action.
Marrero was the only Crusher to hit safely multiple times, going 2-for-4 on the night, while Bryan DeLaRosa and Jake Vieth also hit safely.
The Crushers will continue their three game series with the Southern Illinois Miners at Sprenger Healthcare Stadium on Saturday evening. The starting pitching matchup has not been announced. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:05 PM.
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