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Irizarry homers twice as Crushers sweep Washington with 4-3 win

Box Link: https://frontierleague.com/sports/bsb/2021-22/boxscores/20220828_uox1.xml

AVON, Ohio — Kenen Irizarry hit a pair of homers on Sunday afternoon at Mercy Health Stadium, as the Lake Erie Crushers completed a sweep of the Washington Wild Things with a 4-3 victory in their final home game of the season.

Lake Erie (48-42) has now won a season best, seven straight games, nine in a row at home and 14 out of their last 17 games overall, while the loss for Washington (56-34) was their fifth in a row. The Crushers remain 2.5 games out of the final wild card spot with six games to play.

Washington fired the first shot, scoring in the top of the third. Devon Fisher began the inning with a single and advanced to second after Scott Dubrule walked. Cam Balego singled to load the bases and Wagner Lagrange drove Fisher home on a sacrifice fly.

The Wild Things added to their lead in the top of the fourth inning. After Kevin Holcomb retired the first two batters of the inning, he hit Tyler Wilber with a pitch, walked Fisher and Dubrule drove Wilber home on a RBI double to left.

Irizarry belted his first homer of the afternoon in the bottom of the fourth inning to give the Crushers their first lead of the game. Kemuel Thomas-Rivera began the inning with a double to left before Jackson Valera was hit by a pitch to setup Irizarry’s three run homer right-center, his eighth of the season.

Washington tied the game in the top of the fifth inning. Lagrange’s second of three hits on the afternoon was a one out double to center and he came around to score the game tying run on a two out RBI single from Tristan Peterson.

With nobody on and one out in the bottom of the sixth inning, Irizarry struck again, as he blasted a solo homer to right, which proved to be the difference.

The Wild Things threatened in the top of the ninth. Balego reached on a one out single before Anthony Brocato was hit by a pitch. Alexis Rivero (20) plunked Anthony Brocato with a pitch before striking out Lagrange. A wild pitch put runners on second and third before Rivero retired Andrew Czech on a line out to Irizarry at short.

Trevor Kuncl (2-0) allowed a run on four hits over three innings of work and came away with the win. Sam Curtis was called on for the fourth consecutive game and delivered a scoreless eighth inning. Rivero, who was also summoned four the fourth straight game, picked up his third save of the series by working a scoreless ninth inning.

Irizarry paced the Crushers offensively going 3-for-4 on the afternoon, finishing what was a terrific homestand where he hit .416 (10-for-24) with six runs scored and drove in 10 runs. Thomas-Rivera turned in a multi-hit game as well, going 2-for-4 and scored twice.

The Crushers are off on Monday but will begin a crucial three game series on the road against the Schaumburg Boomers on Tuesday night. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:30 PM.