Crushers Walked off in Evansville

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FL Lake Erie Crushers

Crushers Walked off in Evansville

July 27, 2024 - Frontier League (FL)
Lake Erie Crushers News Release


Evansville, IN - The Evansville Otters (26-40) walked off the Lake Erie Crushers (38-27) in the 9th inning on Saturday, completing a comeback and winning 5-4. The Crushers are now in third place in the Frontier League West.

It was a low scoring affair early on. Crushers starter RHP Anthony Escobar pitched through the first three innings without giving up a hit. After hitting the first batter of the 4th, Escobar surrendered his first hit of the outing. He was able to wiggle his way out of the inning despite Evansville putting men on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out.

Meanwhile, the Crushers had amassed five hits in the game but were unable to put a run across. That changed in the top of the 5th. RF Sam Franco popped up the second pitch of the inning in foul territory. However, the catcher and first baseman bumped into each other and the ball dropped. Moments later, Franco launched a solo homer to break the scoreless tie.

In the 6th, Lake Erie received another gift from Evansville. With two outs, C John Tuccillo popped a fly ball high into left field. LF Mason White lost it in the sky and it fell behind him. LF Ronald Washington came trucking home from first to score on the play.

Then, Sam Franco lined a double to bring home another run. With two runs in the inning, the Crushers gave Escobar a 3-0 cushion.

The cushion proved soft and welcome as the Otters managed a run off Escobar in the 6th with an RBI single by 1B Dakota Phillips. Escobar got high fives from his teammates as he was taken out of the game with two outs and a man on. His final line: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 3 K on 89 pitches.

LHP Kenny Pierson had one out to get with a man on second, and he did it with a flourish. He punched out C Logan Brown with a painted fastball to keep the two run lead and close the book on Escobar's excellent night.

With two outs in the 7th, Alberti Chavez logged his second hit of the ballgame with a little dribbler down the third base line. It's now the third time in four games Chavez has had a multi-hit game, and his hitting streak as a Crusher is now at four games. He's 8-for-16 (.500) since he was acquired from the Y'alls.

RHP Christian Scafidi entered in the 7th. He got a swing and a miss for a strikeout to start the inning, but the ball scooted to the backstop, allowing Mason White to reach. Then, twice, Scafidi was pinched by the strike zone on what looked to be strikeouts. Instead, two walks were addressed and DH Randy Bednar hit a single up the middle to give the Otters the lead.

Ronald Washington led off the 8th and homered to tie the game 4-4 off Evansville's new pitcher, RHP Jon Beymer.

RHP Sammy Tavarez came in with the game tied in the bottom half and got some help from his defense. Ronald Washington started the inning with a great sliding catch down the left field line, and 1B Vincent Byrd Jr. slid to his right and tossed to Tavarez to end the inning, stranding two runners in the process.

Lake Erie got two men on with two outs in the top of the 9th. Ronald Washington made a bid for his second clutch homer of the game, but came up just a few feet short.

The Otters walked it off after putting the first two men on against RHP Trevor Kuncl. Dakota Phillips dumped a single into left center field to complete the comeback.

The Crushers move to 1-7 since the start of the second half. They've now lost their fourth straight, making it their longest skid of the 2024 campaign. Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Lake Erie Crushers 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 4 14 0 Evansville Otters 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 1 5 9 1

The Crushers look to get one game out of the series to go their way on Sunday, July 28 at 6:05pm EST.

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Frontier League Stories from July 27, 2024


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