Crushers Crank Five Dingers in 11-8 Win

by Zane Bloom

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:

Zane Bloom, zbloom@lakeeriecrushers.com

910-777-3871

Wanna See Me Do It Again? Crushers Crank Five Dingers in 11-8 Win

Florence, KY - July 24, 2025 - My usage of the word “barnburner” in yesterday’s recap was quite quaint when compared to the actual barnburner that occurred between the Lake Erie Crushers (33-27) and the Florence Y’alls (27-34) on Thursday night. The Crushers took home an 11-8 victory to win the series and stay up a half-game for first place in the Central division.

RF Sam Franco pummeled his second home run in as many at-bats dating back to Wednesday to get the Crushers on the board in the 2nd. Then, 3B Kenen Irizarry lined a two-run homer a few batters later for his first Crushers homer since rejoining the team. Two big swings gave the Crushers a 3-0 lead early, but they were far from the last big swings from either side in the game.

RF TJ Reeves finally broke his own ice with an opposite field bomb in the bottom of the inning for the first Florence homer of the series. Entering the series, the Y’alls were tied for most homers in the Frontier League with 77. And, once again, that would not be the last homer for Florence in the ballgame.

C Alfredo Gonzalez saw Reeves’ homer and raised him a two-run jack in the 3rd inning on the first pitch he saw from LHP Michael Barker. DH Jaidan Quinn kept the line moving with a ripping double to set up an RBI single for Sam Franco moments later. Just as quickly as the Crushers gave up a run, they plated three more. But, as quickly as they got their runs, Florence would get some of their own.

LF Anthony Brocato, who had been held quiet in the series to this point, finally broke off a three-run homer off RHP Anthony Escobar in the bottom of the inning to get the Y’alls back in the game, 6-4.

The Y’alls kept the foot on the gas in the 4th. Solo home runs from 3B Brendan Bobo and rookie CF Dalen Thompson tied the game 6-6, and Escobar had doubled his home runs surrendered from his previous 78 innings in just four frames.

But, once again (does someone hear an echo?), the Crushers had the response. LF Burle Dixon reached for the third straight time to start the 5th, and Alfredo Gonzalez embraced the dejavu with another two-run blast to reclaim the Lake Erie lead, 8-6. Gonzalez strung together back-to-back games with a two-homer game, following up Jaidan Quinn’s Wednesday morning performance.

Escobar’s night on the mound ended up being his worst start of the season, but even after surrendering another home run to Anthony Brocato in the 5th, he exited with an 8-7 lead in line for a win.

Baseball is a weird sport (which is why it’s so beautiful). Escobar went eight innings of one-run ball in his last start and got the loss, but the Crushers set the All-Star up for a win in his worst start of the season. Escobar’s final line: 5 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 0 BB, 8 K (season high).

Florence went to the bullpen and got into some trouble in the 6th and 7th. RHP Anthony Pingeton was able to wiggle out of jams, stranding five runners in two innings. He pitched into the 7th and got two outs with two men on. Y’alls manager Chad Rhoades lifted him for matchup reasons, bringing in RHP Max Whitesell to face CF Dario Gomez, who was 0-4 on the night.

Gomez smelled the blood in the water and pounced like a bullshark. He launched a mistake pitch from Whitesell off the scoreboard for a three-run homer, the fifth of the day for Lake Erie. This one locked in incredibly important insurance runs, putting Lake Erie up 11-7.

The Y’alls quieted down offensively when RHP Leonardo Rodriguez entered the game in the 6th. He faced six batters and retired all six, blowing fastballs by 1B Will Butcher and DH Hank Zeisler in his perfect outing.

In the 8th the Crushers handed the baseball to RHP Brandyn Sittinger, who was sitting on a scoreless inning streak of 24 straight innings dating back to June 7th (yes, a month and a half ago). Sittinger gave up a leadoff hustle double to Anthony Brocato, who scored on a sacrifice fly in the inning, snapping the scoreless inning stretch. The otherworldly run for the former big leaguer featured 35 strikeouts, three hits, and four walks. Sittinger bounced back to strike out two of the last three batters to keep the Crushers up 11-8 going to the 9th.

RHP Michael Brewer surrendered a leadoff double and a walk to start the 9th, bringing the tying run to the plate for Florence. But, once again (really, again?), Brewer pitched around two leadoff baserunners to log a scoreless inning in the series.

Brewer struck out sluggers Zeisler and Brocato before inducing a game-ending flyout, putting the foot down on his 11th save of the season as Lake Erie took home the series win with an 11-8 victory.

Anthony Escobar (7-3) magically got the win he was owed from his last start, and Michael Barker (5-6) was lifted one batter too late in his loss. Michael Brewer (11) stays tied for the conference lead in saves.

Lake Erie’s offensive explosion was a full team effort. All nine Crushers reached base in the game. The following led the way at the plate on Thursday.

Dario Gomez: 1-for-6, HR, 3 RBI, R
Burle Dixon: 3-for-4, 2 R
Alfredo Gonzalez: 2-for-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 BB
Sam Franco: 3-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, R
Davie Morgan: 1-for-3, 2 R
Kenen Irizarry: 1-for-5, HR, 2 RBI, R

The team returns to Avon tomorrow, welcoming the Mississippi Mud Monsters at 7:05pm ET for their first trip to Crushers Stadium. It’s Christmas in July with postgame fireworks, so make sure you get your tickets online at lakeeriecrushers.com! Then, come back for Cleveland Monsters Night on Saturday with a pregame hockey clinic and more postgame fireworks!

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!

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Whether it’s a birthday celebration, youth sports night, corporate event, or family reunion, group outings with the Crushers offer great fan experiences and benefits, including reserved seating and special perks. Visit www.LakeErieCrushers.com/groups or call (440) 934-3636 for more information.

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About the Lake Erie Crushers

The Lake Erie Crushers are a professional baseball team that plays just 18 miles outside Cleveland at the 5,000 seat Crushers Stadium in Avon, Ohio. They compete in the Frontier League - a prestigious MLB Partner League. Since its founding in 2009, the Crushers have been dedicated to delivering exciting baseball and family-friendly entertainment to fans in Northeast Ohio.