
Escobar Tosses Gem in Front of Sellout Crowd in Loss
July 18, 2025 - Frontier League (FL)
Lake Erie Crushers News Release
Avon, OH - Crushers fans packed out the Vineyard for their second sellout of the year. Unfortunately, the Lake Erie Crushers (29-26) couldn't get the bats going out of the All-Star Break on Friday against the Evansville Otters (22-35), who took the first game of the second half 1-0 to break their 12-game losing streak.
Both starting pitchers got out hot and were dealing through three innings. The Otters were the first to get on the board, and it came in the 4th inning on a SS Pavin Parks RBI triple against RHP Anthony Escobar.
While the bats stayed quiet, the defense didn't in the 5th. New 3B Kenen Irizarry (who was with the Crushers from 2022-23) made an unbelievable sliding play back of the third base bag and fired across the diamond to get the out. Then, C Derek Vegas fired a seed to nab a basestealer to end the inning, his seventh CS of the year.
Escobar did his job on the mound. The second-year All-Star twirled eight incredible innings giving up just the one run, something that's become commonplace in 2025. His final line: 8 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K.
Evansville starter RHP Joan Gonzalez went seven innings in his third Otters start. He gave up just four hits and one walk while striking out a season-high eight batters.
With the score just 1-0 Otters going into the 9th, RHP Dayan Reinoso lifted Escobar after his incredible start. Reinoso stranded a man at third to get the game to the home half of the 9th with the Crushers down just a run.
SS Jarrod Watkins led off the 9th with a base hit, but RHP Alex Valdez was able to keep him from scoring, notching Evansville a slim 1-0 win to open the second half.
Joan Gonzalez (2-1) got his first win as a starter. Anthony Escobar (6-3) certainly didn't deserve a loss for his efforts, but the run support didn't hold up. Alex Valdez (5) notched the save.
Lake Erie will be back in action at home after the All-Star Break on Friday, July 18th at 7:05pm against the Evansville Otters at Crushers Stadium. Get tickets online at
lakeeriecrushers.com !
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!
Frontier League Stories from July 18, 2025
- Mud Monsters Start Second Half Right with Win - Mississippi Mud Monsters
- Titans Sweep Twin-Bill from Rox - Ottawa Titans
- Grizzlies Power Their Way to Sixth Straight Win - Gateway Grizzlies
- Win Streak Snapped at Gateway - Schaumburg Boomers
- Kirkeby Shines in ThunderBolts Win - Windy City ThunderBolts
- Boulders Roll over NJ in Return from All-Star Break - New York Boulders
- 'Cats Bullpen Slams the Door with Five Shutout Frames - Tri-City ValleyCats
- Wild Things Grab 15 Hits, QS from DiValerio in Win - Washington Wild Things
- Offense Buckled by Mississippi - Florence Y'alls
- Bird Dawgs Outpaced by Quebec in Series Opener - Down East Bird Dawgs
- Gonzalez Strikes out Eight as Otters Win Opener - Evansville Otters
- Escobar Tosses Gem in Front of Sellout Crowd in Loss - Lake Erie Crushers
- Watching Titans Baseball Just Got Easier - Ottawa Titans
- Sussex County Miners Car Show this Saturday, July 19th - Sussex County Miners
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
Other Recent Lake Erie Crushers Stories
- Crooked Numbers Power Crushers to 8-4 Win in Florence
- Crushers Season Membership Plans Now Available
- Spain's Gem, Gomez' Triple Lead Crushers to Series Win
- Lake Erie Bounces Back with 9-2 Win Over Evansville
- Escobar Tosses Gem in Front of Sellout Crowd in Loss

