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FL Lake Erie Crushers

Byrd Hits Ball over I-90, Straightens Next One out off Scoreboard in Crucial Win

August 21, 2024 - Frontier League (FL)
Lake Erie Crushers News Release


Avon, OH - After a night of grasping at straws and attempting to claw back into the ballgame, Wednesday offered a much more relaxing night of baseball for Lake Erie.

On Wednesday, August 21, the Lake Erie Crushers (47-38) were able to take down the Schaumburg Boomers (44-42) in a comfortable, yet crucial 5-0 win. The win pushes Lake Erie 3.5 games ahead of Schaumburg for third place in the Frontier League West Division standings. Their magic number to clinch the playoffs is down to 7.

In the bottom of the 2nd inning, DH Vincent Byrd Jr. hit not one, but two of the furthest balls we've seen at Crushers Stadium. The first was a foul ball that bounced off the eastbound side of I-90. It is currently bouncing in a housing development some 600+ feet away from home plate. Then, in a 2-2 count, Byrd Jr. crushed a ball 109 miles per hour off the bat that went 467 feet fair. The blast hit off the top of the scoreboard in right field, and it gave the Crushers a 1-0 lead.

Just two innings later, the Crushers would add more to their scoring column. 1B Scout Knotts singled to start the bottom of the 4th inning, followed by back-to-back bunt singles from 3B Logan Thomason and C John Tuccillo. They loaded the bases before LF Burle Dixon walked in a run to make it 2-0.

LHP Jack Eisenbarger continued to produce elite-level pitching, wheeling and dealing through seven remarkable innings of scoreless baseball. It wasn't the high-strikeout Eisenbarger we've seen at times this season, but the Boomers seldom made hard contact against the southpaw. His final line: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 4 K in another quality start.

In the 8th the Crushers turned to the setup man, RHP Sammy Tavarez, who maintained the Lake Erie lead and set up for some insurance in the bottom half.

SS Jarrod Watkins, desperately looking for a knock, hooked a 3-run home run just inside the right field foul pole to extend the lead, 5-0.

In the top of the 9th inning, the Crushers turned to closer Trevor Kuncl who was dominant on the mound and closed out the game in 1-2-3 fashion to secure the pivotal win for the Crushers.

Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E

Schaumburg Boomers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0

Lake Erie Crushers 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 3 X 5 12 1

The Crushers will try to take the series on Thursday, August 22 at 6:35pm EST - the final clash between Lake Erie and Schaumburg in 2024. A win could all but lock in a spot for the Crushers in the playoffs. It's another Thirsty Thursday headlining the fun! All Great Lakes products are half off, so bring your friends out to the ballpark to enjoy the festivities!

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Frontier League Stories from August 21, 2024


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