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Parks Breaks Franchise Record in Homers, Watkins Reaches Milestone as Grapes Fall in Doubleheader
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Parks Breaks Franchise Record in Homers, Watkins Reaches Games Played Milestone as Grapes Fall in Doubleheader
Florence, KY - August 26, 2026 - The Lake Erie Crushers (37-54) fell in both games of the doubleheader against the Florence Y’alls (52-40) on Wednesday. In the games, Jarrod Watkins moved into second place all-time in games played in a Lake Erie Crushers uniform, and Pavin Parks set a new standard for single season homers with a historic blast in game two.
Game 1
In the bottom of the first, a ground ball down the left field line took an unfortunate bounce off of the wall, which allowed the Y’alls to knock in two early runs off the bat of 3B Garrett Broussard. A two-out bloop single into right field plated one more for Florence shortly after, and the Y’alls led 3-0.
After a lead-off double for the Y’alls in the 2nd, a weak liner into right field from LF Marcus Brodil plated another run. In the 3rd, DH Brendan Bobo snuck a solo homer over the centerfield fence to make it 5-0 Florence against RHP Alex Garbrick.
In the 5th, two singles by Francis and LF Joe Redfield allowed RF Jeron Williams to follow along and drive in the first Lake Erie run. DH Pavin Parks plated a run on a groundout shortly after as the Crushers cut the deficit to three, trailing 5-2.
1B Hank Zeisler, who entered the day hitting under .180 against the Crushers on the year, blasted a solo home run in the 5th to add on some extra insurance. In the 6th, RF Oscar Serratos scored on a SS Dylan Baker RBI single to make it 7-2 Y’alls.
The Crushers load the bases in the top of the 7th inning. 2B Luis Acevedo drew a two-out full count walk which made it 7-3 and brought the tying-run to the plate in the form of SS Jarrod Watkins. After a battle with closer LHP Aidan McEvoy, Watkins was punched out to end the game, and Florence took game one 7-3.
Game 2
The 30-minute intermission was not enough to hold back 1B Brayden Jobert to start game two., He absolutely demolished a two-run home run over the center field wall, as Lake Erie jumped out to an early 2-0 lead. Jobert continues to rake for The Lake, already with four homers in just a week of games.
In the top of the 3rd, LF Joe Redfield doubled on a line drive down the left-field line. He then stole third base and scored on a throwing error to make it 3-0. He would have scored anyway, though, on what happened next.
3B Pavin Parks, sitting on history, blasted a no-doubt two-run shot for his 20th homer of the season, which put him alone at the top to eclipse the Lake Erie Crushers single season franchise home run record, previously set by Gordie Gronkowski in 2009. The Crushers took a commanding 5-0 lead with the historic swing.
To watch the historic moment, check out the Crushers on Instagram or Facebook @LECrushers !
In the bottom of the 3rd inning, the Y’alls wound up loading the bases, and DH Zade Richardson knocked in two with a double against RHP Chase Hopewell, who pitched respectably in an opening role against his former team. He went three innings giving up just the two runs and had the Crushers leading 5-2 by his exodus.
In the bottom of the 4th, LHP Kenny Pierson got the benefit of a double play to put two outs on the board with nobody on base. Then, C Zach Beadle glanced a liner off a diving try from RF Jeron Williams for a double. After a walk, RBI single, and another walk, Richardson struck for a heartbreaking blow. He mashed a grand slam over the left field wall to put home seven unanswered runs, and all of a sudden, Florence led 7-5.
2B Luis Acevedo hit his second home run in as many nights in the top of the 6th, a no-doubter over the left field wall to get the Crushers back within a run, 7-6.
In the bottom of the 6th, though, Florence attained an insurance run thanks to three straight singles. They led 8-6, and RHP Chris Barraza finished off the save with a 1-2-3 7th inning, giving Florence a wild comeback win to sweep the doubleheader.
The Crushers finish up the season series tomorrow against Florence at 6:54pm 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.
