Death By Solo Homers, Otters Take Opener 4-2 from Lake Erie

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Death By Solo Homers, Otters Take Opener 4-2 from Lake Erie

Evansville, IN - August 14, 2026 - The Lake Erie Crushers (32-48) failed to maintain the winning ways after the day of rest. They were bested by the Evansville Otters (50-32) 4-2. Despite a solid pitching performance, the Crushers offense could not produce enough runs to get the win.  

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LF Joe Redfield once again created havoc on the basepaths as the lead-off hitter. After doubling to start the contest, he was moved to third ahead of a 3B Pavin Parks walk. With two outs, Parks stole second on a controversial tag play, and amidst the confusion Redfield was able to steal home plate for the first run of the game. 

RHP Alex Garbrick got the nod for Lake Erie, and he was very solid through four scoreless innings before giving up back-to-back solo home runs to start the 5th by DH Dennis Pierce and 1B Chris Kwitzer. The Otters flipped the score to their favor 2-1.

Evansville starter RHP Ryan Wiltse was going pound for pound with Garbrick, and after the run in the first, he settled in to toss five scoreless innings in the aftermath, and he held the Crushers at bay to get to his bullpen.

Kwitzer and the Otters expanded their lead when he poked an RBI single into shallow left field in the bottom of the 6th. Evansville also scored in the 8th inning as 3B Marcos Gonzalez launched the third solo home run of the game over the wall in left to make it 4-1.

After two quick outs by RHP Alex Valdez in the 9th, the Crushers made some noise with three straight two-out singles, the third of which was an RBI knock from SS Jarrod Watkins. However,  Valdez was able to get Pavin Parks to ground out to end the game. The Otters exited with a 4-2 win in an overall very well pitched game.

The Crushers continue their series at Bosse Field against the Otters tomorrow, Saturday, August 15th at 7:35pm ET. Catch every game of the road trip live on HomeTeam Network! The Crushers return home on August 18th at 6:30pm for $2 Tuesday. Tickets are available at LECrushers.com.

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.