Frontier 
Lake Erie Crushers
ForeFront Field
Crushers Play Heartbreaker, Swipe Series from Playoff Hopeful Boomers
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Media Contact:
Zane Bloom, zbloom@lecrushers.com
910-777-3871
Crushers Play Heartbreaker, Swipe Series from Playoff Hopeful Boomers
Avon, OH - August 23, 2026 - The Lake Erie Crushers (36-52) played spoiler on Sunday at ForeFront Field, taking home a huge series win against the playoff hopeful Schaumburg Boomers (49-41). Lake Erie came away with a 5-3 victory and their first series win since they swept Washington in a doubleheader on July 11th.
Despite a rocky start in the top of the 1st, LHP Jack Eisenbarger locked in with the bases loaded and nobody out. He struck out RF Kellum Clark, then got 3B Anthony Calarco to ground into an inning-ending double play to complete the Houdini act.
In the bottom of the 2nd, 1B Brayden Jobert launched an absolute nuke for his third homer in five games as a Crusher. The solo shot put Lake Erie up 1-0.
Eisenbarger got out of another jam in the top of the 3rd, inducing another inning-ending double play from the 2025 Frontier League MVP, Anthony Calarco. He got through three scoreless innings and set the Crushers up to keep the pressure on.
The Boomers plated their only run against Eisenbarger on a wild pitch in the 4th, but Jack was able to escape the inning with no further damage.
3B Chayton Krauss got the run right back in the bottom of the 4th on an RBI fielder’s choice, then 2B Luis Acevedo added on a sacrifice fly in the 5th to make it 5-1 Lake Erie.
Eisenbarger found more consistency with his command as his outing went on, and he finished with 5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 6 BB, and 4 K. He exited in line for the win.
Schaumburg got a two-run homer from 1B Kyle Fitzgerald in the top of the 7th to pull the Boomers within a pair of runs. RHP Alexander Castro came in for a multi-inning outing, and he slammed the door on the Boomers to get the game to the 9th.
For the second straight day, RHP Brandyn Sittinger came on for the save, and for the second straight day, he slammed the door. Sittinger nailed down the crucial save to give Lake Erie the 5-3 victory and their first series win since mid-July - a feel-good series win against the Boomers.
Jack Eisenbarger (3-6) got his first win back in a Crushers uniform, Derek Salata (5-6) was pinned with the loss, and Brandyn Sittinger (12) put home the save on a beautiful Sunday afternoon at ForeFront Field.
The Crushers will hit the highway for the final road trip of the season, which starts Tuesday, August 25th at 6:50pm ET in Florence. 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.
