FL Lake Erie Crushers

Crushers beat Evansville for fifth straight win

Published on August 6, 2011 under Frontier League (FL)
Lake Erie Crushers News Release


AVON, Ohio - The Lake Erie Crushers scored eight times on 11 hits on Saturday night, and won their fifth game in a row, defeating the Evansville Otters, 8-4, at All Pro Freight Stadium.

For the Crushers, (35-35) the winning streak ties their longest streak of the season (June 27-July 2), and puts them at .500 for the first time since June 2, when they were 6-6, while the loss for Evansville (26-45) was their third in their last four games.

The Otters scored first in the top of the second inning, when Troy Frazier belted a solo homerun with two outs to give the Otters their only lead of the contest. Lake Erie tied the game moments later in the bottom of the second, when Evan Sharpley singled to left field, scoring Jason Taylor in the process.

Lake Erie snapped a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the third by scoring four times to pull away. The big hit of the inning came from Kellen Kulbacki. Kulbacki smashed a three run bomb off of Kyle Barry (2-6), his fourth of the year and his first at home, and Sharpley's sacrifice fly scored Taylor a few moments later to cap the big inning.

Evansville added two in the top of the fourth. Jose Hernandez drove in the first run on a double and he scored on Phil Britton's base hit. The Otters plated their final run of the game in the fifth inning. Greg Alexander reached on Sharpley's fielding error at third, which allowed Alex Foltz to score.

The Crushers added single runs in the fourth, fifth and the eighth. Robby Kuzdale started the fourth inning with a single, and scored on a wild pitch. Taylor led off the fifth inning with a walk and scored on a base hit from Brian Erie. Kulbacki walked with two outs in the eighth inning, before Taylor singled to left field. The ball was booted by Hernandez in right, and the error allowed Kulbacki to score.

Randy Sturgill (6-1) allowed four runs, three earned on six hits over five innings of action and earned the victory. Travis Risser (5) tossed the final three innings of the contest, and allowed no runs on five hits to score the save. Barry was tagged for seven runs on nine hits and walked four over four and two-thirds in a losing effort.

Seven players hit safely for the Crushers while every batter reached at least once. The offensive attack was led by Taylor, who went 4-for-4 with a trio of singles, a double, three runs scored and an RBI. Taylor has eight hits over his last three games. Sharpley went 2-for-3 and drove in a pair of runs. The Crushers have scored 21 runs on 28 hits over the first two games of the series.

The Crushers are still a game and a half behind the Traverse City Beach Bums for the final playoff spot in the Frontier League's Eastern Division.

The Crushers will finish their three game series against the Evansville Otters at All Pro Freight Stadium on Sunday night. Right hander Thomas Campbell (2-0, 2.31) will start for the Crushers, and the Otters will counter with right hander Dan Marcacci (4-1, 3.80).The first pitch is scheduled for 5:05 PM.

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Frontier League Stories from August 6, 2011


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