Scafidi, Kuncl Strand Five in Late Innings as Crushers Hang on for Win

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Lake Erie Crushers

Scafidi, Kuncl Strand Five in Late Innings as Crushers Hang on for Win

August 14, 2024 - Frontier League (FL)
Lake Erie Crushers News Release


Sauget, IL - If your doctor keeps telling you to quit biting your fingernails, tell them you watched this game and he'll let you off. The Lake Erie Crushers (45-34) escaped with a 2-1 win over the Gateway Grizzlies (47-32) by a strand of keratin (that's what fingernails are made of). They gain the game they lost on Tuesday right back and sit 2 games behind Gateway for 2nd place in the West.

Both sides shared just six hits through the first six innings. Safe to say starters Anthony Escobar and Collin Sullivan were dialed in. Let's just jump to the 7th inning and skip over a bunch of strikeouts, weak groundouts, and soft flyouts, shall we?

LF Burle Dixon led off with a double before Lake Erie loaded the bases with nobody out. SS Jarrod Watkins took advantage of the drawn in infield and broke the ice with an RBI single. 2B Alberti Chavez just missed a homer in the only swing hit took in the next at-bat, but he settled for a bases-loaded, RBI walk instead. Chavi's on-base streak moves to 18 games since joining Lake Erie (all but one he has a hit in).

The Crushers settled for their two runs in the 7th with Gateway getting the benefit of an incredible double play on an outfield assist. Anthony Escobar came back out for the 7th having thrown just 53 pitches to that point. After getting squeezed on a 3-2 pitch, Escobar was removed after issuing two walks and hitting a batter - the only walks he surrendered all night. The bases were loaded with Lake Erie clinging to a 2-0 lead.

RHP Christian Scafidi entered the game with one out and the tying run at second base. He struck out Victor Castillo and got DJ Stewart to ground out to end the inning and keep Gateway scoreless. Gutsy performance.

This also closed Escobar's line: 6.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K on just 70 pitches. Under different circumstances and a larger lead, he'd likely have been kept in the game, but in a playoff race, you can't afford to leave guys out for too long. In his last 26 innings pitched spanning four starts, Escobar has given up just 10 hits and 2 earned runs (0.69 ERA and 0.692 WHIP). His ERA for the season is now 1.96. Incredible stuff from the all-star.

The first two Grizzlies in the 8th didn't see a strike from new arm RHP Sammy Tavarez. Moments later, Gabe Holt fouled off a barrage of fastballs before squaring one up for a ground-rule double to make it 2-1. Holt represented the go-ahead run, and Jared Lemieux turned to RHP Trevor Kuncl with Tavarez failing to get an out.

Kuncl froze Abdiel Diaz with an icy 3-2 curveball for the first out. Then he got squeezed on back-to-back two strike fastballs on the inner third that could have been called for strike three. Instead it was a walk to load the bases.

But maybe that's just what the doctor ordered. Kuncl jammed Peter Zimmerman on a 1-2 pitch. 3B Logan Thomason stepped on third and tossed to first to complete the 5-3 double play, ending the inning and keeping Lake Erie in the lead, 2-1. Sammy didn't have it tonight, but when it comes to the Lake Erie bullpen: cut off one head, two more will take its place.

Kuncl came back out for the 9th, struck out the leadoff man, then induced two groundouts for a 1-2-3 inning and a 2-1 winner for the Crushers. Say it with me: multi-inning threat. A two-inning save for Kuncl made for his 19th save of the year. Anthony Escobar (8-2) was given a well-deserved win for his stellar outing.

Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E

Lake Erie Crushers 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 6 0

Gateway Grizzlies 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 1

The Crushers will try to take the series from Gateway on Thursday, August 15th. First pitch is at 7:30pm EST. The lefty, Jack Eisenbarger, will try to do the job for Lake Erie coming off a masterful start at home against the Schaumburg Boomers.

Check out the Lake Erie Crushers Statistics

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