Crushers Get Back on Track, Beat Florence 6-4

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Crushers Get Back on Track, Beat Florence 6-4

Florence, KY - August 27, 2026 - The Lake Erie Crushers (38-54) struck for a big 3rd inning on Thursday and paired it with some clutch relief appearances to defeat the Florence Y’alls (52-41) 6-4 and force a season series split against their Central Division counterparts.

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RF Brendan Bobo led off the bottom of the 2nd with a solo home run over the left-field wall to give the Y’alls the first lead of the game.

The Crushers responded immediately in the top of the 3rd. They got started thanks to a fielding error by LHP CJ Blowers, and after setting Lake Erie’s franchise home run record last night, 3B Pavin Parks lined a single to center field to tie the game.

2B Luis Acevedo lifted a sacrifice fly to take the lead, then SS Jarrod Watkins hit a line shot up the middle to plate DH Jeron Williams from second base. The throw to the plate hit the mound, which allowed Parks and Watkins to move up a base on the throwing error. Parks would then steal home clean, but he wouldn’t be credited with the steal as Blowers balked. Regardless, Lake Erie plated four in the inning and led 4-1.

Jeron Williams added a sacrifice fly in the 4th to give Lake Erie an extra run. They led 5-1 in backing of RHP Fraynel Nova. Nova’s first rough inning came in the 5th when he gave up a sacrifice fly and an RBI single to get the Y’alls within a pair of runs. In the 6th, Florence took advantage of a dropped third strike and scored a run they wouldn’t have scored otherwise to make it 5-4.

Nova was lifted after 5 ⅓ innings. He came out in line for the win thanks to LHP Wesley Culley keeping the lead intact with a clutch strikeout to end the 6th.

In the top of the 7th, Parks drew a one-out, eight-pitch walk to set the table. 1B Brayden Jobert struck a double into the left-center field gap. Parks rumbled all the way from first base to score and give Jobert an RBI. More importantly, Lake Erie got an extra run on the board to lead 6-4.

RHP Alexander Castro tossed 1 ⅓ scoreless innings before being lifted for RHP Brayndn Sittinger with one out and a man on in the 8th. Castro exited with an apparent arm injury with trainer Manny Economos.

Sittinger came in, struck out two batters to end the 8th, then sat down the side in order with a pair of K’s in the 9th to earn his 14th save and secure the Crushers’ 6-4 win. Sittinger finished with 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K.

Fraynel Nova (3-9) earned a much-needed win. Y’alls starter CJ Blowers (4-2) was pinned with the loss. Brandyn Sittinger (14) retired all five batters he faced to snag the save.

The Crushers travel to Evansville to take on the Otters in Central Division action tomorrow, August 28th at 7:30pm ET. Catch all the action on the final road trip of the season on HomeTeam Network! The team returns to Avon for BOGO Fan Finale Weekend on September 4th. Go to LakeErieCrushers.com/BOGO to get your tickets and find out all about the huge promotional weekend to finish off the 2026 season!

Crushers 2027 season tickets are now on sale! For information on 2027 season ticket memberships visit lecrushers.com or call (440) 934-3636, and be sure to follow our socials @LECrushers on Instagram/Facebook/X.

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About the Lake Erie Crushers

The Lake Erie Crushers are a professional baseball team based in Avon, Ohio, just 18 miles west of Cleveland at ForeFront Field. They compete in the Frontier League, a proud MLB Partner League, and have brought a family-friendly, fan-oriented baseball experience to Northeast Ohio since 2009. As Lorain County’s only professional sports franchise, the Lake Erie Crushers are the largest economic driver in Lorain County, hosting more than 200 events per year that include over 50 baseball games, concerts, charity functions, and other events that bring the community of Avon together. Len Komoroski is the Crushers Chairman and Managing Partner, and the team is led by President Vic Gregovits. Jared Lemieux, a Maine Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, is in his fourth season as field manager.