Crushers Upended Late Against Windy City

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Zane Bloom, zbloom@lecrushers.com

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Crushers Upended Late Against Windy City

Crestwood, IL - September 2, 2026 - The Lake Erie Crushers (40-56) were taken down late by the Windy City ThunderBolts (52-45) on Wednesday night. Three late runs completed a Bolts comeback win, 5-3.

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Windy City took an early lead in the 1st that started off with a walk to RF Michael Sandle. Sandals stole second then LF Justin Fogel blooped a ball into left field to score him. Later in the inning C Victor Cerny lifted a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0 ThunderBolts. RHP Chase Hopewell came back to toss a scoreless 2nd in his opener start.

In his first at-bat with the Crushers, C Jacob Connery lined one past the glove of SS Tony Livermore for a single. A walk by CF Nathan Archer put runners on first and second, then a deep fly ball by LF Joe Redfield gave enough room for both runners to advance. This made a huge difference because a groundout from RF Jeron Williams allowed Connery to score from third, putting the Crushers within a run, 2-1.

Connery stayed hot in the 5th, leading the inning off with a double to left field. Redfield poked an infield single, then Williams drew a one-out walk to load the bases. With the vineyard full of grapes and two outs, 1B Brayden Jobert delivered and lined a two-RBI single to right field, scoring Connery and Redfield. The Crushers took their first lead of the game, 3-2. 

Meanwhile, Ben Petschke came in relief with a phenomenal shift ending with 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K. Petschke faced just one over the minimum and allowed just two baserunners. Drew Buhr followed Petschke and tossed a perfect 7th inning.

After six straight scoreless innings for the Crushers, CF Liam McArthur hit a lead-off single in the 8th into left field for Windy City’s first hit since the 2nd inning. LF Justin Fogel hit a ground-rule double to put the go-ahead run in scoring position with just one out. The Crushers’ boogeyman 3B Jared Beebe, who had walked all three plate appearances to that point, ripped a go-ahead single through the drawn-in infield to make it 4-3 Windy City against RHP Alexander Castro.

After more hits and walks, Tony Livermore walked with the bases loaded to force in a crucial third run. It made it 5-3 Bolts, giving LHP Justin Lovell enough cushion to get the save. The Crushers brought the tying-run to the plate with one out but were unable to avoid the loss in the middle game.

Zach Cameron got a win in relief. Alexander Castro was tagged with the loss, giving up all three runs and the lead in the 8th. Justin Lovell got his 7th save by committee of the season.

The Crushers look to take the series tomorrow, September 3rd, at 7:35pm against the ThunderBolts. Catch the final road game of the season live 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.