Escobar Tosses Gem in Front of Sellout Crowd in Loss

Avon, OH - July 18, 2025 - Crushers fans packed out the Vineyard for their second sellout of the year. Unfortunately the Lake Erie Crushers (29-26) couldn’t get the bats going out of the All-Star Break on Friday against the Evansville Otters (22-35), who took the first game of the second half 1-0 to break their 12-game losing streak.

Both starting pitchers got out hot and were dealing through three innings. The Otters were the first to get on the board, and it came in the 4th inning on a SS Pavin Parks RBI triple against RHP Anthony Escobar.

While the bats stayed quiet, the defense didn’t in the 5th. New 3B Kenen Irizarry (who was with the Crushers from 2022-23) made an unbelievable sliding play back of the third base bag and fired across the diamond to get the out. Then, C Derek Vegas fired a seed to nab a basestealer to end the inning, his seventh CS of the year.

Escobar did his job on the mound. The second-year All-Star twirled eight incredible innings giving up just the one run, something that’s become commonplace in 2025. His final line: 8 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K.

Evansville starter RHP Joan Gonzalez went seven innings in his third Otters start. He gave up just four hits and one walk while striking out a season-high eight batters.

With the score just 1-0 Otters going into the 9th, RHP Dayan Reinoso lifted Escobar after his incredible start. Reinoso stranded a man at third to get the game to the home half of the 9th with the Crushers down just a run.

SS Jarrod Watkins led off the 9th with a base hit, but RHP Alex Valdez was able to keep him from scoring, notching Evansville a slim 1-0 win to open the second half.

Joan Gonzalez (2-1) got his first win as a starter. Anthony Escobar (6-3) certainly didn’t deserve a loss for his efforts, but the run support didn’t hold up. Alex Valdez (5) notched the save.

Lake Erie will be back in action at home after the All-Star Break on Friday, July 18th at 7:05pm against the Evansville Otters at Crushers Stadium. Get tickets online at lakeeriecrushers.com!

Can’t join us at the ballpark? You can stream Crushers games home and away in 2025 on the brand new Frontier League streaming partner, HomeTeam Network or watch live on local television on Rock Entertainment Sports Network (RESN) in Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati markets!

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Whether it’s a birthday celebration, youth sports night, corporate event, or family reunion, group outings with the Crushers offer great fan experiences and benefits, including reserved seating and special perks. Visit www.LakeErieCrushers.com/groups or call (440) 934-3636 for more information.

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About the Lake Erie Crushers

The Lake Erie Crushers are a professional baseball team that plays just 18 miles outside Cleveland at the 5,000 seat Crushers Stadium in Avon, Ohio. They compete in the Frontier League - a prestigious MLB Partner League. Since its founding in 2009, the Crushers have been dedicated to delivering exciting baseball and family-friendly entertainment to fans in Northeast Ohio.