LAKE ERIE CRUSHERS News & Game Recaps

Sauget, IL – “In a way, the Grizzlies awoke a sleeping dragon.” If you read that this morning and didn’t believe me, then I’m sorry, because your fear of the Grape is simply not strong enough.

There’s not a headline suitable enough to overview what happened in the Gateway on Tuesday night. Not one.

In the most classic baseball game of the Frontier League season, baseball season, maybe ever, the Lake Erie Crushers stormed back in the late innings against the Gateway Grizzlies in the West Division Wild Card Game, winning 10-8 and punching their ticket to the Divisional Series that starts Thursday.

My…where do I start? How about the first inning. After SS Jarrod Watkins led off the game with a single, DH Vincent Byrd Jr. turned around a Deylen Miley delivery, sending it over the arch in center field for a two-run shot to get the Crushers on the board first, 2-0.

The Grizzlies had a quick response against LHP Darrien Ragins, loading the bases then getting a run on a GIDP by DJ Stewart (no RBI awarded). With a man on third, DH Kevin Krause tied the game with a double, putting the score back even 2-2.

Both Miley and Ragins settled in shortly after, tossing dominant frames until the top of the 5th inning when rookie 3B Logan Thomason went yard to give Lake Erie a 3-2 lead. Thomason has been sitting on 19 doubles for, seemingly, years now, but he decided to go above and beyond the left field fence for his 7th of the season.

Then, the 6th inning started the drama. Ragins came back out after retiring eight straight. He gave up two hits to start the inning before being pulled for RHP Christian Scafidi. 3B DJ Stewart greeted him with a first-pitch single to score a run, putting things even once again. Then, Kevin Krause lofted a sacrifice fly to give Gateway their first lead of the night.

With a man on third and one out, Scafidi had SS Abdiel Diaz in a 2-2 count and delivered a fastball that caught a lot of plate. It was called a ball and Diaz eventually walked. Then, deja vu. RF Kyle Gaedele found himself in a 2-2 count, watching a fastball that caught a lot of plate – also called a ball. He walked moments later. This set up bases loaded for C Jose Alvarez.

Alvarez tucked a line drive over the short porch in right field for a Gateway Grizzlies grand slam, taking an 8-3 lead.

All hope seemed lost for Lake Erie…until you realize that such a statement simply wasn’t true. Any normal team would saunter off the field after a crushing blow like that.

Not Lake Erie. Not tonight. They hustled off the field and got right back to work in the top of the 7th.

RF Jake Guenther saw Alvarez’s “pesky pole” homer and raised him a grown man homer, going way over the right field fence for a leadoff blast off Deylen Miley – who was coming out for another inning of work despite sitting for almost a half-hour while the Grizzlies hit.

Miley walked C Johnny Tuccillo on four pitches and was promptly lifted for RHP Alec Whaley. Whaley faced his three batter minimum and failed to record an out.

CF Jack Harris got a two-strike pitch turned around for a double to set up second and third. Thomason drew a walk after falling behind in the count, and it set up Jarrod Watkins for a 2 RBI single to get the Crushers back within two.

RHP Lukas Veinbergs relieved Whaley and stranded runners on the corners with a pair of strikeouts to maintain the Grizzlies lead, 8-6.

The Crushers turned to RHP Sammy Tavarez for the 7th and 8th innings. Tavarez allowed the leadoff man to reach in both frames, but got out of the 7th and handed the ball to closer Trevor Kuncl in the 8th. It took just two pitches for Kuncl to get two outs and strand a man on second with the Crushers getting their last turn to bat.

Gateway gave the ball to the electric LHP Leoni De La Cruz to close out the ballgame in the 9th. The only thing he closed on Jack Harris was his fist after Harris sent a moonshot into the night for a solo home run to lead off the 9th. The score: 8-7 Gateway.

De La Cruz fanned a pair to put the Crushers down to their final hope, 2B Alberti Chavez, who quickly fell behind in the count. After working things full, Chavez drew a walk with a big-league take to keep the line moving for Lake Erie. 1B Scout Knotts didn’t have to do much in his plate appearance; De La Cruz walked him on four pitches.

Chavez was the tying run at second, Knotts the go-ahead run at first.

The batter: Vincent Byrd Jr.

The Grizzlies’ closer got out ahead of Byrd 0-2…but if you’ve made it this far and you’re still not fearing the Grape, you best start now. Leoni De La Cruz was 14/14 in save situations this season.

He would not be 15/15.

Byrd connected for his second home run of the night, his 17th of the season, and most importantly the go-ahead blast to put the Crushers up 10-8 in the 9th. Down to their final strike TWICE in the 9th. Lake Erie gives no regards to your pity. They take it, spit it out, and wash it away with grape juice.

After a crushing blow like that, Gateway had all but to roll over to Trevor Kuncl in the 9th. He blew by 2B Gabe Holt, got a 3-1 pop-out of new LF Edwin Mateo, then blew away the Frontier League First Baseman of the Year, Peter Zimmermann, with a “take this” fastball to seal the deal and send the Crushers to the West Divisional Series.

The win is Lake Erie’s first playoff win since Game 4 of the Divisional Series in 2013. Eleven years have culminated to tonight’s classic game, and there is more baseball to be played in Avon, Ohio in 2024.

Game 1 of the Divisional Series will be IN Avon, Ohio at Crushers Stadium on Thursday, September 5th against the West Division champions, the Washington Wild Things.

First pitch is at 6:35pm EST, and all tickets are “buy one, get one” thanks to our new partnership with First National Bank. All tickets are $10 and can be purchased using the promo code “BOGO10” on the Crushers’ website. We’re also running a $2 beer and $2 peanuts deal that will run the entirety of the game.

We will be BACK with a home broadcast on FLOBaseball.tv, so tune in if you can’t join us (but make sure you join us)!

And don’t forget…You can FEAR the Grape. We’ll see you Thursday.

Written by: Zane Bloom