Crushers Smoked in Sussex County

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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Zane Bloom, zbloom@lecrushers.com

910-777-3871

Crushers Smoked in Sussex County

Augusta, NJ - July 31, 2026 - The Lake Erie Crushers (29-41) were blasted away in their opening game against the Sussex County Miners (33-36) on Friday night.

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An early 1st inning run for the Miners set the tone, but RHP Gauge Lockhart was able to get out of a bases loaded jam with no further damage done. However, in the 3rd, the Miners plated three runs in an inning highlighted by a Keenan Taylor RBI triple.

All the while Miners’ starter Jorge Garcia dealt 5 ⅔ scoreless innings in the best start of his young pro career, holding the Crushers off the scoreboard ahead of a 5th inning grand slam by Keenan O’Brien to make it 8-0 Sussex County.

The 6th inning saw nine runs come in for Sussex County, and it took Samuel Benjamin losing his designated hitter delineation and going to the mound to strike out the last batter of the inning. Sussex led 17-0.

Lake Erie got a run in the 7th on a sac fly from Luis Acevedo, then they scored four more runs in the 8th thanks to a two-RBI single from Pavin Parks and a double by Chayton Krauss (who finished the day 3-for-3). By the time the dust settled, the Miners waltzed away with a 19-5 victory.

The Crushers and Miners will match up again tomorrow, August 1st for the middle game at 6:35pm ET. Catch every game of the road trip live on HomeTeam Network. Fun promotional nights are on tap when the Crushers come home, like Copa De La Diversion on August 7th, Star Wars Night on August 8th, and so many more! Tickets are available 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.