Parks Blasts Go-Ahead Homer to Stun His Former Club, Crushers Win Thriller in E’ville

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:

Zane Bloom, zbloom@lecrushers.com

910-777-3871

Parks Blasts Go-Ahead Homer to Stun His Former Club, Crushers Win Thriller in E’ville

Evansville, IN - August 15, 2026 - The Lake Erie Crushers (33-48) defeat the Evansville Otters (50-33) in an 11-9 thriller on Saturday night at Bosse Field in one of the more ridiculous games you’ll ever see. Both teams surrendered the lead several times each, however the Grapes emerged victorious thanks to a three-run homer by a familiar Evansville face.

CLICK HERE FOR BOX SCORE

Evansville got out to an early 1-0 lead via an RBI double that bounced against the center field wall from 3B Chris Kwitzer. The lone run for both sides held an Evansville lead with RHP Landon Willeman and RHP Fraynel Nova pitching in and out of trouble in the early game.

Lake Erie ambushed Willeman to start the 4th inning, with the first six batters reaching base in the inning. LF Joe Redfield drew a lead-off walk to start the frame, then RF Jeron Williams, 3B Pavin Parks, DH Garret Pike, 1B Chayton Krauss, and SS Jarrod Watkins all poked singles through the infield in consecutive fashion to give Lake Erie the lead. The Crushers added a fourth run on a double play and led 4-1.

The Otters would claw back a run in the home half of the inning, as the Lake Erie starter RHP Fraynel Nova exited the game with an arm injury. Evansville made it a 4-2 game on a single off the bat of SS T.J. Salvaggio. While Evansville continued to threaten, new pitcher LHP Wesley Culley finished the inning with an emphatic strikeout to prevent further damage.

In the 5th, the Crushers got the run right back on a solo homer from Joe Redfield to re-establish their three-run lead, 5-2.

However, Evansville didn’t go away quietly. They plated two runs in the 6th on a clutch two-out single from 1B Logan Brown and pulled within a run, 5-4.

The Crushers’ bullpen continued to leak runs in the 7th, as the Otters scored a pair of runs courtesy of LF LG Castillo. He doubled in a run, took third on a groundout, then made a fantastic read on a dirt ball that resulted in a strikeout, but he was already sliding into home by the time the ball was picked up. His run made it 6-5 Evansville, their first lead since giving up four in the 4th.

In the 8th, DH Garret Pike, fresh off the IL, smoked an opposite field single and reached second base on a groundout. After Otters’ reliever RHP Anthony Tomczack induced a flyout for the second out, he plunked C Nick Chavez on the first pitch he saw in the game. With manager Andy McCauley sitting in the clubhouse after being ejected a few innings prior, the Otters’ Max Peterson went to part-time closer RHP Nate Wohlgemuth to try and get the final out of the 8th with the 6-5 Otters’ lead still in play.

Crushers’ 2B Luis Acevedo wasted no time putting that notion to bed. He ripped a single into left field that got to Castillo in a hurry, but Lake Erie 3B Coach Mark Mason gave the most emphatic windmill of the season to send Pike home. With the throw up the line, Pike scored to tie the game, and just like that, it was all square, 6-6.

Then, CF Nathan Archer blasted a gapper to the wall in right center to bring in both Chavez and Acevedo to give Lake Erie the lead once more. While Archer was trucking for a triple, he came up limp and was tagged out to end the inning and was removed from the game shortly after.

The Crushers two run lead evaporated in a hurry, though. Evansville loaded the bases against former Otter RHP Ben Petschke in the bottom of the 8th. The Crushers wasted no time calling on their closer RHP Brandyn Sittinger to protect the lead.

The lead did not last, though. 2B Marcos Gonzalez tight-roped  a line drive down the left field line all the way back to the wall, clearing the bases and giving Evansville a 9-8 lead. On the play, Gonzalez was thrown out at third on a controversial call trying to stretch into a triple. The ensuing argument promptly got him and Max Peterson tossed, meaning the Otters were working with scraps for options to make decisions.

In the top of the 9th, Redfield once again found himself on base via a hit-by-pitch, and he reached as the tying run. SS Jarrod Watkins found his way aboard as the go-ahead run with a single, and up came former Otter, Pavin Parks.

In his old stomping grounds in front of fans that once cheered him on, he gave them reason to wilt as he launched a three-run, go ahead homer over the wall in right - his 17th homer of the season, and none more clutch than this iteration. He made it 11-9 Crushers, and another former Otter resurfaced to the mound to finish it off.

Brandyn Sittinger came out in the bottom of the 9th and retired the Otters in order to complete the 11-9 win in one of the more ridiculous games you’ll ever see. Freak injuries, emphatic ejections, insane two-strike hitting, a 9th inning go-ahead homer, and former club crime - all amounting to a memorable, historic evening at one of America’s most historic venues.

And have no fear, because the Crushers and Otters match up one more time tomorrow, August 16th at 1:35pm ET. Winner takes the series, and you can catch every Crushers game 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.

# # #

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.