Jeron Williams, Crushers Walk It Off in Sudden Death Thriller in Avon

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Jeron Williams, Crushers Walk It Off in Sudden Death Thriller in Avon

Avon, OH - August 20, 2026 - The Lake Erie Crushers (34-51) played the Florence Y’alls (50-36) tight on Thursday night at ForeFront Field - so tight that the game came down to its final swing, a walk-off RBI single from Jeron Williams in Sudden Death. 

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The Y’alls struck in the opening frame on an RBI double by RF Brendan Bobo. Two runs scored on the poke, and Florence took an early 2-0 lead.

In the 2nd, 2B Luis Acevedo banged a missile off the left field foul pole for a leadoff homer, his seventh of the season, to make it 2-1. 

Then in the 3rd, Lake Erie got two runs on a 3B Pavin Parks jam shot to left field that bounced in front of LF Milo Rushford with so much English on it, you’d have thought it was chewsday, innit? Shortly after, 1B Brayden Jobert lifted a sacrifice fly to make it three runs in the inning. The Crushers took a 4-2 lead, and all the while, RHP Alex Garbrick had settled in quite nicely.

Despite giving up the runs in the first, Garbrick struck out the side in the inning, and he put up zeroes through the next three frames. In the top of the 4th, he got some help from his defense. On a line drive to center field with two outs and a man on second, CF Garret Pike gunned down Garrett Broussard on an absolute seed to end the inning.

In the 7th, the Y’alls tied the game with a pair of runs that came against Garbrick’s line. They knocked him out of the game with four runs against him in six innings pitched. LHP Wesley Culley came in to quiet things, getting out of the inning without any further damage.

Both sides were quiet offensively late in the game, and nine innings would not be enough to determine the outcome.

In the top of the 10th, RHP Alexander Castro induced a bunt pop-out from CF Cole Brannen to hold the automatic runner at second base. Castro escaped the inning without allowing a run to score, setting up a prime opportunity for Lake Erie to win it in the bottom half.

In similar fashion, Lake Erie was unable to move the runner from second before two outs, but Pavin Parks delivered a single to right field, and Jared Lemieux gave the wave to Chase Nixon. RF Brendan Bobo unleashed a cannon from right field and the throw beat Nixon by about ten feet. However, Nixon didn’t slide, and he tiptoed to touch home plate while C Zach Beadle tagged him high. Nixon was called out, and immediately he started to argue. After some contention from Lemieux, the Crushers went back to their dugout and declared that they would hit in Sudden Death.

In Sudden Death, a runner starts on first base, and the home team chooses to either hit or pitch. If the run scores, the hitting team wins. If the run doesn’t score, the pitching team wins.

Pavin Parks started the inning at first base, and 1B Brayden Jobert smoked a single to right field to put men on first and second. Then, Acevedo dropped a beautiful bunt down the third base line, but the pitcher, Chris Barraza, pounced on it and flipped to third on a bang-bang play. Parks was called out for the first out of the inning.

Barraza struck out Garret Pike to set up the second out and put the Crushers against the wall. Up came Jeron Williams, who pinch hit in the 9th.

Williams fell behind 0-2 quickly, then fought off several tough pitches to stay alive against the tough closer. Then, on the eight pitch of the at-bat, Williams hit a seeing-eye, topspinning chopped past the outstretched third baseman and into left field. Jobert scored without contest, and the Crushers walked off another Sudden Death game at home, 5-4.

Alexander Castro was awarded his first Crushers win - a fantastic way to end the series ahead of the big promotional weekend.

Tomorrow, August 21st, the Crushers join the Cleveland Cavaliers for the ultimate Cleveland collaboration to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the 2016 NBA Championship. Come relive the best moments, join Aman as he gets everyone fired up, and participate in the Cavs/Crushers jersey auction, which is now live - https://fans.winwithdash.com/team/lakeeriecrushers  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.