Otters out-duel Crushers
Crusher offense shut down in 3-2 loss to Otters
AVON, Ohio — The Lake Erie Crushers, presented by Mercy Health, were held to just a pair of runs on three hits on Sunday afternoon at Sprenger Healthcare Stadium, as they lost rubber match in their three game series to the Evansville Otters, 3-2.
The loss for the Crushers (18-18) marked their ninth one-run loss of the year, while the win for the Otters (22-16) was their fifth in their last seven games.
Evansville fired the first shot for the third game in a row. Mike Rizzitello started the top of the third inning with a base hit and made his way to third on David Cronin’s double to left. With two outs in the inning, Ryan Long deposited Alex Romero’s (2-1) 2-2 pitch to shallow center field, resulting in a two run single to give the Otters an early 2-0 lead.
The Otters added another run in the top of the fifth. JJ Gould reached on a one out single to center, and he came around to score on Cronin’s second double of the game.
The Crushers were able to dive into the deficit in the bottom of the fifth with a pair of runs. Emmanuel Marrero started the inning with a double to right. Aaron Hill followed with a single to right center, and advanced to second on an errant throw. With runners on a second and third, John Cable drove in Lake Erie’s first run with a sacrifice fly out to right, plating Marrero. Karl Ellison then brought Hill home on a RBI groundout to third.
However, the Crushers were kept quiet offensively the rest of the way. They had no hits after the fifth inning, and had just one base runner over the final four innings of the contest.
Jake Welch (3-1) allowed just a pair of runs over eight great innings on just three hits while fanning eight batters to secure the victory for the Otters. Taylor Wright (4) worked a perfect ninth inning to score the save. Romero took the loss for the Crushers after allowing three runs on seven hits and struck out six in six innings of action.
Marrero led the way for the Crushers offensively, going 2-for-3 on the day and has now reached safely in 14 straight games. He went 8-for-18 (.444) during the give game home stand and scored four times. Dale Burdick also reached in the seventh when he was hit by a pitch to extend his on base streak to nine games.
The Crushers are off on Monday, but will begin a three game series on the road with the Washington Wild Things on Tuesday night. Lefty Jared Koenig (2-0, 2.38) is expected to start for the Crushers. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM.
Video: JUNE 23 LEC VS. EVANSVILLE
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