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Lake Erie Crushers
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Crushers Upended Late in Florence After Rain Delayed Start
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Zane Bloom, zbloom@lecrushers.com
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Crushers Upended Late in Florence After Rain Delayed Start
Florence, KY- August 11, 2026 - The Lake Erie Crushers (31-47) fall to the Florence Y’alls (47-32) in a 6-4 contest. The Crushers got on the board early but couldn’t keep the Y’alls off the board late as they dropped the first game of the road trip.
Florence starter Jonaiker Villalobos worked quickly through the first five outs of the contest, however, the Crushers started a two out rally on a cue-shot single by RF James Jett. SS Jarrod Watkins blooped another single before C Nick Chavez loaded the bases with a walk.
With Crushers everywhere CF Nathan Archer drove in two runs on a smoked base hit single. LF Joe Redfield slapped another single to score Lake Erie’s third run of the inning, and Lake Erie would have had another run on a single from 2B Luis Acevedo, but Florence RF Brendan Bobo gunned down Archer at the plate to end the inning..
Lake Erie starter LHP Edwin Sanchez pitched four scoreless innings against the Y’alls, which started with nine up and nine down to start. Florence finally found their way on the board in the 5th inning as an RBI double by Marcus Brodil removed the zero from the scoreboard. A wild pitch would make the score 3-2 though, as the Crushers navigated a bases loaded jam with minimal damage.
Sanchez returned in the 6th and had to deal with a man at third with less than two outs. He got a groundout for the second out, but then 3B Garrett Broussard hit a clutch RBI double to tie the game 3-3. With LHP Wesley Culley on the mound the Y’alls took the lead 4-3 on a wild pitch that scored an inherited runner.
Despite another solid outing from Sanchez, his final line read: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, on 102 pitches.
Florence walked Chavez to start the top of the 7th inning. The Lake Erie backstop would find his way to third with two outs before Luis Acevedo wasted no time dropping an RBI single into left field to tie the contest at four.
RHP Adam Brouwer was on in relief in the 8th, and he gave up a single and a walk with just one out. Jared Lemieux went to RHP Brandyn Sittinger to try to get the final two outs of the inning while keeping the game tied. Sittinger struck out SS Dillon Baker on a nasty sweeper, but C Zach Beadle ambushed his first pitch fastball, driving in two runs on a double and making it 6-4 Y’alls.
Although the Grapes threatened in the top of the 9th, the Crushers could not convert on their opportunities at the plate against RHP Danny Heintz, who remained unscored upon in his professional tenure.
Lake Erie and Adam Brouwer get the loss in the 6-4 contest. Florence’s Danny Heintz took the win in relief.
The Crushers will continue the series with Florence tomorrow at 6:51pm ET. Catch every game of the road trip live on HomeTeam Network! The Crushers return home on August 18th at 6:30pm. 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.
