FL Lake Erie Crushers

Lake Erie Crushers D. Southern Illinois, 5-1

Published on June 7, 2017 under Frontier League (FL)
Lake Erie Crushers News Release


AVON, Ohio -- The Lake Erie Crushers, presented by Mercy, capitalized on seven free passes and an inside the park homerun at Sprenger Healthcare Stadium on Wednesday night, as they came away with a 5-1 victory over the Southern Illinois Miners.

The victory for the Crushers (10-13) was their third in a row, tying their longest winning streak of the season, while the loss for the Miners (8-15) was their second in a row following a three-game winning streak.

Lake Erie walked seven times in the contest, and benefitted from four free passes in the fifth inning, while the Miners walked five times on the night, in a game that only saw eight hits from the two teams combined.

Both sides had trouble scoring early on, as the opportunities to score were pretty scarce over the first four innings of action. Only seven batters reached base over the first four innings of play, until the Crushers struck for two in the fifth.

Lake Erie's two-run fifth inning was highlighted by four walks and only one hit. Southern Illinois starting pitcher Zach Cooper (1-4) didn't issue any free passes over the first four innings, but struggled with his command in the fifth. The inning began with a double off the bat of Brandon Murray. Tanner Lubach then walked, before Connor Hofmann moved them over on a sacrifice bunt. Max Casper was then walked, before back-to-back bases loaded free passes were issued to Parker Norris and Connor Oliver to give the Crushers a 2-0 lead.

Southern Illinois was able to get one of those runs back in the top of the sixth inning. Nolan Earley started the inning with a walk, and advanced to third on a one out single from Marc Flores. The next batter, Willi Martin hit a sharp ground ball to third and had a base hit taken away on a terrific diving stop made by Cody Lenehan, which turned in to a RBI groundout.

Lake Erie was able to add a trio of runs to their lead in the bottom of the eighth. Back-to-back one out walks were issued to Lenehan and Hurley, before Kyle Tinius struck out Murray. With two outs, Lubach hit a line drive single to center. Southern Illinois center fielder London Lindley tried to make a diving catch, but the ball got by him, going all the way to the wall, which resulted in a three-run inside the park homerun.

Adam Quintana (3-2) scored the victory for the Crushers after allowing just a run on two hits while fanning five batters over six strong innings. Nate Coakley, Seth Lucio and Chandler Jagodzinski all pitched scoreless innings of relief. Cooper took the loss after allowing a pair of runs on three hits while walking four and striking out two over five innings.

Hurley reached three times on the night, going 1-for-2 to extend his hitting streak to six games. Casper and Lubach both reached safely twice on the night as well.

The Crushers will finish their three-game series with the Southern Illinois Miners at Sprenger Healthcare Stadium on Thursday night. Left-hander Connor Reed (1-2, 4.03) will make the start for the Crushers and the Miners will counter with right-hander Ethan Gibbons (1-1, 5.94). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM.

The Lake Erie Crushers, the 2009 Frontier League Champions, and 2011 Frontier League Organization of the year, play ball at Sprenger Healthcare Stadium, a 5,000 capacity stadium located in Avon, Ohio. The Frontier League is an independent baseball league with 12 teams operating throughout the Midwest. For more information on tickets, promotions and team news, visit the team website at www.LakeErieCrushers.com or call 440-934-3636.

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Frontier League Stories from June 7, 2017


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