Crushers Clinch Playoffs Despite Being Upended 8-2
Published on August 24, 2025 under Frontier League (FL)
Lake Erie Crushers News Release
Avon, OH - The Lake Erie Crushers (50-37) backdoored their way into clinching a playoff berth on Saturday night in front of 3,700 fans at Crushers Stadium, falling 8-2 to the Schaumburg Boomers (54-35).
The Crushers will be heading back to the playoffs for the second straight season, and with seven games left in the regular season, the objective shifts to winning the Central Division. They lead Washington by two games with a magic number of five.
LHP Jack Eisenbarger had it working early on. He diced up the Boomers the first time through the lineup. But then DH Anthony Calarco smacked a double for Schaumburg's first hit on Eisenbarger in the 4th. Both he and 3B Nick Podkul scored without the aid of the hit, putting Schaumburg up 2-0.
The Crushers punched back with an RBI single from RF Sam Franco in the bottom of the inning before a ground-rule double from CF Dario Gomez in the 6th tied the game at two.
Eisenbarger got an out in the 7th before he handed the ball to RHP Juan Zapata, who, unfortunately, got knocked around by the Schaumburg lineup. Four extra-base hits amounted to five runs in the 7th for Schaumburg. The big blow came on an opposite-field home run from CF Banks Tolley. The blitz ended with the Boomers leading 7-2.
The Boomers added another run in the 8th, waltzing their way to an 8-2 victory over Lake Erie despite the Crushers putting 11 hits on the board with four separate multi-hit games.
Buddie Pindel (9-6) improved to 3-0 since being acquired by the Boomers at the trade deadline. Jack Eisenbarger (9-4), despite tossing a quality start, was pinned with the loss.
The Crushers wrap up their series with Schaumburg tomorrow, August 24th at 1:05pm. It's the last Sunday Funday with postgame Kids run the Bases and Autographs and pregame Catch on the Field! Get your tickets online at lakeeriecrushers.com /tickets !
Playoff ticket packages and single-game stubs are on sale now! Visit lakeeriecrushers.com to lock in your seats for the 2025 Frontier League Playoffs at Crushers Stadium!
Can't join us at the ballpark? You can stream Crushers games home and away in 2025 on the brand new Frontier League streaming partner, HomeTeam Network or watch live on local television on Rock Entertainment Sports Network (RESN) in Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati markets!
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