Redfield, Garbrick Lead the Way in Washington to Kick Off Roadie with Win

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Redfield, Garbrick Lead the Way in Washington to Kick Off Roadie with Win

Washington, PA - July 21, 2026 - The Lake Erie Crushers (27-34) got a brilliant pitching performance from their starter and some clutch hitting against the Washington Wild Things (41-20) to take the first game of their 12-game road trip. 

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LF Joe Redfield got the party started with a triple off the right field wall. Then, DH Pavin Parks drove him in on a sacrifice fly to deep center field to put the Crushers ahead. 

Washington responded with two-out thunder from their pair of All-Stars. LF Anthony Brocato doubled to center, then 1B Andrew Czech smoked a line drive single into center. Alexander came up firing, and the throw beat Brocato to the plate, but C Nick Chavez was called for blocking the plate, and Brocato was called safe to even the score 1-1.

The Crushers threatened with runners on second and third in the 4th inning, and 2B Luis Acevedo smoked a line drive into the gap in left center, but CF Caleb Ketchup ranged, dove, and made an amazing web gem catch to rob the Crushers of two runs.

In the 5th, the Crushers had a similar situation with men on second and third with two outs, but 1B Jacob Tobias popped out against RHP Kelvin Perez to end the threat again.

All the while, RHP Alex Garbrick was turning in his best appearance as a Crusher, after surrendering the run in the first, he allowed just one baserunner while facing the minimum through the next five innings,

The Wild Things finally got their first hit off Garbrick in the bottom of the 7th, a ground single by Czech with one out in the inning. But then, on the 99th pitch of the night, Garbrick struck out Caleb Ketchup for the third straight time, and Nick Chavez gunned down Czech for a strike ‘em out throw ‘em out to end seven brilliant innings by Alex Garbrick.

Garbrick’s fantastic final line: 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, QS on 99 pitches.

With the 1-1 score still holding into the 8th, LHP Kenny Pierson was the first arm out of the bullpen for Jared Lemieux. He held the line and pitched a scoreless inning to set up a photo finish in the 9th.

Washington turned to LHP Max Folkman to maintain the tie, but his second pitch rode inside on RF Garret Pike and plunked him, putting the go-ahead run on first. SS Jarrod Watkins executed a flawless sacrifice bunt to move Pike to scoring position, and Washington decided to intentionally walk Acevedo to set up a double play with Nick Chavez coming up.

Chavez battled and fought off two strike pitches until he managed a walk to load the bases for Joe Redfield. Redfield, having already hit a couple baseballs with authority on the night, smoked a gapper into right center that went to the wall and brought in two Grapes to give Lake Erie their first lead since all the way in the top of the 1st.

Moments later, Sebastian Alexander fought off a two-strike pitch and grounded it through the drawn-in infield to drive in two more runs and make it a 5-1 Lake Erie lead in the 9th.

RHP Brandyn Sittinger entered in a non-save situation and tossed a perfect 1-2-3 9th to finish off the series opening victory for Lake Erie, 5-1. The Crushers improve to 6-4 against the Frontier League-best Wild Things in 2026 and have guaranteed a season series split with two games yet to play this week.

Kenny Pierson (1-0) was awarded with his first win of the season in relief, and Alex Garbrick walked away with one of the best starts by a Crusher this season. Max Folkman (0-1), who surrendered all four runs in the 9th, was addressed the loss.

The Crushers continue the series with Washington tomorrow at 6:05pm ET. Catch every game of the road trip live on HomeTeam Network. Fun promotional nights are on tap when the Crushers come home, like Copa De La Diversion, Star Wars Night, and more! Tickets are available at LECrushers.com.

For information on 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.