Wednesday, May 19, 2010 Crushers Ring in 2010 Season with Championship Celebration

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AVON, Ohio- The Lake Erie Crushers will receive their 2009 Frontier League Championship rings in a ceremony prior to Friday’s opening day game against the Traverse City Beach Bums at All Pro Freight Stadium.

The rings will be presented by Crushers managing member Steven Edelson at 6:30 p.m., 30 minutes prior to the first pitch of the Crushers 2010 season. Frontier League Commissioner Bill Lee will also be on hand for the proceedings.

The team will open the gates at 5 p.m. to accommodate early arriving fans for Opening Day presented by the Morning Journal. The festivities will include several exciting pre-game events. Starting at 5 p.m. LifeShare will be accepting blood donations outside the main gate in the Baseball Boulevard cul de sac. At 5:45 p.m., the Crushers will present a military swearing in on the field, which will be followed by the ring ceremony and the raising of the 2009 Frontier League championship banner.

The Crushers defeated the River City Rascals 3-2 in last season’s Frontier League Championship Series to win the title in their inaugural season. Lake Erie fell behind 2-0 in the best-of-five series before rallying to win the final three games of the series, including the decisive game five on the road at T.R. Hughes Ballpark in O’Fallon, Mo.

The championship marked just the second time in 15 years that an expansion team has won a Frontier League title. The Canton Crocodiles were the last franchise to accomplish the feat, winning the crown in 1997.

Lake Erie returns 10 players from the 2009 championship team, including 2009 Frontier League midseason and postseason all-star Andrew Davis and starting pitcher Cardoza Tucker, who will start opening night after posting a 4-0 record in eight starts with the Crushers last season.

The Lake Erie Crushers play ball at All Pro Freight Stadium located in Avon, OH. Beginning in 2010, All Pro Freight Stadium will also be home to the Cleveland State University baseball team. The Frontier League is an independent baseball league with 12 teams operating throughout the Midwest. Season tickets for the 2010 season are on sale now! For more information on tickets, promotions and team news, visit the team website at www.LakeErieCrushers.com or call 440-934-3636.

by Harry Plumer