AVON, Ohio — The Lake Erie Crushers, presented by Mercy Health, traded shots back and forth all night long with the Joliet Slammers but were able to outlast the Slammers with a 7-6 win.
The Crushers (53-41) improve to 6-4 against the Slammers this season with the win. While the Slammers (39-55) have now lost their ninth game in their last 10 with the loss.
The Crushers had a different strategy for today’s game than usual. Pat Ledet started for the Crushers but only threw 3.0 innings where he gave up three runs on five hits, walked one and struck out two. Then Lake Erie brought in Dylan Mouzakes for his first innings since he was activated off the disabled list. Mouzakes looked sharp in his return, he threw 3.0 innings and gave up no runs, one hit, walked one and struck out three. Kent Hasler (7-4) picked up the win tonight, his final line read 2.0 innings pitched, where he gave up three runs on six hits, walked one and struck out two.
Isaac Sanchez (2-6) earned the loss as he gave up four runs on four hits, over his 3.0 innings. And Logan Lombana (10) picked up the save as he shut the door on the Slammers in the ninth.
Joliet started the scoring in the bottom of the first inning. Oliver Nunez got on first with a one out single and then stole second to put himself into scoring position. Ledet walked the next batter to create a force out at every base but Nunez stole third during Harrison Bragg’s at-bat to put the runners at the corners. Bragg hit what looked to be an inning ending double play but the throw to first from Aaron Hill took Jake Vieth off the bag allowing Bragg to reach and the runner on third to score.
The Crushers answered back with the tying run in the second. Logan Farrar led off the inning with a single and then advanced to third on a hit by Zach Racusin. With the runners at the corners, Brody Wofford stepped in and hit an RBI sac fly to score Farrar and make it a 1-1 game.
Lake Erie took the lead in the next inning with another sac fly. Karl Ellison started the inning with a triple and then scored on Bryan De La Rosa’s RBI sac fly.
But the lead lasted until the next half inning when Joliet took the lead with good situational hitting. Chaz Meadows and Clayton Harp hit back-to-back singles to lead off the inning. Ledet was able to get the next batter Nunez out with a fly out on the first pitch; but then gave up a bases clearing double to Dash Winnningham making it a 3-2 Joliet lead.
Lake Erie continued their great situational hitting in the fourth as they tied the game with another sac fly. Steven Kraft ripped a double down the third base line to start the inning. Then Farrar moved Kraft to third with a ground out. The Crushers RBI King, Vieth, added to his total with an RBI sac fly to tie the game at three. With that swing, Vieth now has 57 on the season.
The scoring slowed down during the middle inning but picked back up toward the end of the game. In the top of the seventh, the Crushers used the long ball to take the lead. Ellison continued his impressive night and smashed a two-run homer over the left field fence to make it a 5-3 Crushers lead.
In the bottom half of the inning, some defensive miscues allowed two runs to score for Joliet and tie the game. Two separate errors committed lead to the tying runs of the game to score.
But the Crushers used the long ball again in the eighth to re-take the lead. Farrar hit a two-run homer to make it a 7-5 lead.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Slammers made it close and scored a run with an RBI single, but it was not enough to comeback.
The Crushers will continue their a three-game with the Joliet Slammers on Friday at DuPage Medical Group Field in Joliet, Illinois. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM CST.
The Lake Erie Crushers, the 2009 Frontier League Champions, and 2011 Frontier League Organization of the year, play ball at Sprenger Health Care Stadium, a 5,000 capacity stadium located in Avon, Ohio. The Frontier League is an independent baseball league with 10 teams operating throughout the Midwest. For more information on tickets, promotions and team news, visit the team website at www.LakeErieCrushers.com or call 440-934-3636.
