Florence's Late Slam Hands Lake Erie First Loss

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FL Lake Erie Crushers

Florence's Late Slam Hands Lake Erie First Loss

May 14, 2025 - Frontier League (FL)
Lake Erie Crushers News Release


Avon, OH - Naturally, the low-action pitcher's duel from Tuesday was followed up with a wild barnburner. Such is the sporadic heartbeat of baseball.

The Lake Erie Crushers (3-1) suffered their first loss of the 2025 season on Wednesday in a morning matchup with the Florence Y'alls (1-2), falling 8-6.

The Y'alls broke Lake Erie's streak of 23 innings without giving up an earned run in the 2nd inning with three straight hits off of Crushers starter RHP Ethan Smith. The big blow came on a single from DH Craig Massey to get the scoring started. The Y'alls strung together some walks in the top of the 3rd to extend their lead to 3-0, chasing Smith after just 2 2/3 innings in his Crushers debut.

RHP Steven Ordorica came in and quelled the looming threat by inducing a double play ball. In the bottom of the 3rd the Crushers punched back with a 2-run homer by 1B Alfredo Gonzalez, his first of the season, to pull within a run.

Florence got the benefit of an unearned run in the 4th to go back up two, but the seesawing would continue as the Crushers stole back a run with CF Burle Dixon stealing third and coming home on a throwing error in the bottom half of the inning.

With the score 4-3 Florence, both bullpens went to work and settled things down. Lake Erie's own LHP Kenny Pierson pitched two scoreless frames on a day with his childhood teacher in attendance for Crushers' STEAM Day with school kids from all over Lorain County.

Lake Erie found some quick, two out magic in the bottom of the 7th with PH Davie Morgan drawing a walk, then coming around to score on a SS Jarrod Watkins RBI single.

Tied going into the 8th, the Y'alls responded with two out lightning of their own. LHP Cal Carver struck out the first two batters he faced, but started to experience some command issues. He walked back-to-back batters and plunked another to load the bases. In a 2-0 count, Florence's cleanup hitter RF TJ Reeves teed off for a grand slam to blow the game open and give the Y'alls an 8-4 lead.

The Crushers didn't bow the knee, though. DH Scout Knotts led off the bottom of the 8th with a two-strike single followed by a 2-run blast by Burle Dixon to cut the lead down to two. Dixon's second homer of the season puts him tied for second in the Frontier League in long-balls in the first week of the season.

In the 9th, the Crushers threatened to complete the comeback, putting the first two men on base to bring the winning run to the plate. And who else would it be? A certain Burle Dixon.

With a chance to win the ballgame with another big swing, Dixon ripped a screaming line drive right to the first baseman, Hank Zeisler, who snared it out of the air and tossed to second base to double off Jarrod Watkins, who saw the hard contact and wandered too far off the base.

The 8-6 Florence win was their first of the 2025 season and marks the first defeat for Lake Erie. Y'alls reliever LHP Michael Barker picked up the win and Cal Carver was tagged with the loss. RHP Jett Lodes recorded the first Florence save of the year.

Florence has had their fair share of dramatic wins in Lake Erie in the last few seasons, and the finale on Thursday should be an excellent rubber match with Jack Eisenbarger set to make his second start of the season.

The Crushers will wake up bright and early once again Thursday morning, May 15th for another 11:05am first pitch against the Y'alls looking for the series win. It's the last of our two STEAM Days with WOIO at Crushers Stadium featuring a NASA and space-themed educational segment before the game.

Check out the Lake Erie Crushers Statistics



Frontier League Stories from May 14, 2025


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