Crushers Miss Out on Early Chances, Drop Finale to Grizzlies

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Crushers Miss Out on Early Chances, Drop Finale to Grizzlies

Avon, OH - May 24, 2026 - The Lake Erie Crushers (8-7) missed a few offensive opportunities early on Sunday against the Gateway Grizzlies (6-9) and succumbed to a 11-2 loss in the road trip finale in Sauget. Despite the loss, the Crushers return to Avon with a 4-2 record on the trip.

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The Crushers threatened to score right out of the gate in the top of the 1st inning on a single by 2B Luis Acevedo. However, CF Cole Brannen gunned down RF Joe Redfield at the plate to eliminate the run and keep the game scoreless.

The Grizzlies struck for a run in response in the home half of the 1st on a long ball by RF Mark Shallenberger, who has snake-bitten the Crushers the last two seasons.

Leading 1-0, Grizzlies RHP Ben Harris got himself into a pickle in the 2nd with the bases loaded and two outs for 3B Pavin Parks, who hit a grand slam on Saturday night. This time, though, Harris got the best of him, striking him out to strand the bases loaded.

Gateway came through with three straight singles to start the 3rd against Crushers RHP Fraynel Nova. The Grizzlies kept the line moving in the inning, putting up three runs on three hits to go up 4-0.

Two more runs came across for the Grizzlies in the 4th, and the Crushers found themselves in a deep 6-0 hole.

Nova muscled through six innings despite his rocky start. His final line: 6 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 3 K on 94 pitches.

In the 7th, RHP Corbin Foy couldn’t find his command, and he walked four batters and plunked another, setting up a five-run inning for Gateway with only a single hit from 2B Davie Morgan in the inning.

RHP Dikember Sanchez and RHP Jean Calderon finished the game with scoreless outings as the Crushers trailed 11-0 going into the 9th.

For a little bit of window dressing, LF James Jett socked his first professional homer over the tall left field wall to avoid the shutout. Then CF Bryce Hayman got his first Crushers hit with a double off the wall. He would score on a Joe Redfield sacrifice fly to make it 11-2, and that would be the final on Sunday afternoon.

Ben Harris (2-2) pitched his best outing of the season, holding Lake Erie scoreless in his five innings of work. Fraynel Nova (1-1) was handed the loss in the finale.

Crushers Top Performers:

• Jean Calderon: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

After an off-day tomorrow, the Crushers are back home in Avon on Tuesday, May 26th for a $2 Tuesday at 6:30pm. Fans can use promo code “SCORE2” to get $2 tickets to the game when purchased at LECrushers.com. 

For information on 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.