Lake Erie’s Late Rally Falls Just Short in Evansville

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Zane Bloom, zbloom@lecrushers.com

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Lake Erie’s Late Rally Falls Just Short in Evansville

Evansville, IN - August 30, 2026 - The Lake Erie Crushers (39-56) battled late against the Evansville Otters (59-37) on Sunday afternoon, but, ultimately, fell one hit short as they dropped the series finale 7-6.

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Continuing the trend of the series, multiple first inning runs were scored. The Otters struck first with three straight hits to start their day, capped by an RBI double from 1B Blake Robertson. LF Chris Kwitzer plated another run on a groundout, and Evansville led 2-0 after the opening frame.

The Otters got on the board with three straight hits again in the 4th. A two-RBI single from Robertson made it 5-0.

The Crushers responded, though, getting their first two men on in the 5th. C Nick Chavez broke the ice with an RBI groundout, then CF Nathan Archer blasted a two-run homer to suddenly put Lake Erie within two, 5-3.

LHP Cobe Reeves quietly got the first two outs in the bottom of the 5th, but a single and a 14-pitch walk set up men on first and second while knocking Reeves out of the game due to an elevated pitch count. Against RHP Fraynel Nova, DH Jon Ponder tucked a softly hit grounder inside the third base bag, it scooted all the way to the wall and scored both runs. A two-out blitz from Evansville extended their lead 7-3.

The Crushers made it a game in the 8th inning with five straight singles capped by an RBI knock from 2B Luis Acevedo and a two-RBI rip from SS Jarrod Watkins. With Acevedo as the tying run at second base, RHP Alex Valdez was able to buckle down and strike out Krauss and Chavez to end the inning with the Otters still leading 7-6.

In the 9th, RF Jeron Williams singled with two outs and took second base on a dropped pitch. On a 3-2 pitch, SS Pavin Parks hit a chopper over the mound, but SS TJ Salvaggio fired across to put away the game. The late Lake Erie surge came up just short, and they dropped the series to Evansville.

The Crushers are off on Monday, then they’ll head to Windy City to take on the ThunderBolts in the first game of the final road series of the season at 7:35pm ET. Catch all the action on the final road trip of the season 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.