The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Crushers drop fourth in a row, 5-4 to Boomers
Schaumburg finishes sweep after rain delay
It was a rough start to the June 10 series finale for the Lake Erie Crushers, and when the team started to pick up momentum, the skies opened and the rains came in the bottom of the eighth.
When it was all said and done, after a 54-minute rain delay, the Crushers dropped their fourth straight game and were swept by the Schaumburg Boomers, 5-4, in front of 1,729 fans at Sprenger Stadium – all but 5 of whom were gone when the game concluded.
The Crushers fell to 15-12 and are now in second place in the East Division, 2 1/2 games behind leader Washington.
“We had opportunities. But
that’s the way it is sometimes,” said Crushers hitting coach John Stevens, who spoke on behalf of manager Cam Roth. “It was kind of a weird game today with the rain and the weather. Coming into the eighth already down two strikes (following the 54-minute delay) didn’t help.
“Cameron Newell wound up fouling out, and that set the tone for the rest of the game. We loaded the bases (in the sixth) and had two of the guys we wanted up, but it started to rain and it didn’t work out in our favor.”
Roth left before the game was concluded for a family emergency, according to a team source.
The game was undone by a disastrous third inning from Crushers starter Mason Klotz (2-1), both in the results and with a line drive to the face to end it.
Klotz (2-1) had been cruising along through his first two innings, but the wheels came off in spectacular fashion in the third.
Klotz walked the first two hitters before a sacrifice bunt put both runners in scoring position. A comebacker by Ty Moore was bobbled by Klotz for an error, scoring the first run. Another walk loaded the bases before second baseman Aaron Hill misplayed a grounder by Collin Ferguson for the second error of the inning. The miscue scored the second run of the third. And the Boomers weren’t done.
Zach Weigel ripped an RBI single, Kenny Towns drove in another with a sac fly to left and an infield single that caromed off Klotz’s glove and face by Dylan Jones made it 5-0.
Klotz initially waved Roth and trainer Bree Fortney away, but, upon further examination, they determined his day was done. Reliever Louis Cohen came in cold and retired the 10th and final hitter on his first pitch, but the damage was done.
Klotz dropped to his knee upon walking out of the gate. He was given a concussion evaluation and taken to a nearby hospital for further evaluation, according to a team source.
Crushers’ starters did not fare well against the Boomers this weekend, only going a combined 10 2/3 innings with no starter going longer than four. Klotz’s 2 2/3 inning stint was the worst of the bunch.
“The starters have been struggling,” Stevens said. “We thought we would get a little bit longer outing today, but it just didn’t work out that way. Our relievers came in and did a great job, so that was nice to see.”
The Crushers got three back in the bottom of the fifth on a two-out RBI double from Kevin LaChance. LaChance’s double scored Hill, who led off the inning with a double to highlight a 2-for-3 day. LaChance and Cody Lenahan each scored on a grounder from Dalton Wheat that was booted by second baseman Jack Parenty to make it 5-3 through 5.
With the storms looming, the Crushers threatened in the bottom of the sixth. A walk and two infield hits loaded the bases with nobody out, and Cameron Newell scored on a fielder’s choice grounder to second by Kewby Meyer and an errant throw to the plate.
But with the bases still loaded and nobody out, reliever Ivan Vietez coaxed a lineout to short by Sean Hurley and a 6-4-3 double play from Lenahan to end the threat.
“That’s baseball for you,” said Hill, who went 3-for-3 with a run scored to lead a 10-hit Crushers attack. “It happens sometimes – rain delays, you name it. You just move on.
“I was just trying to get the ball out in front of me a little more. I met with Sean (Hurley) the other day and he suggested trying to see the ball out over the plate. It was an adjustment I made and it worked for me today.”
Dane Hutcheon went 2-for-5, while Mason Brown went 2-for-4 with two doubles to lead the Crushers.
Relievers Cohen, Max Biedrzycki, Branden Nunn and Justin Sinibaldi combined for 6 1/3 innings scoreless innings pitched to keep the Crushers in the game.
Lake Erie has the day off before hitting the road to take on the Normal CornBelters in a three-game series.
“The off day will be good time to get away from baseball a little bit,” Hill said. “We’ll clear our minds and get it rolling on Tuesday.”
Notes
The Crushers have been active on the transaction wire the past few days. Prior to the Schaumburg series, they traded a 2019 first-round pick in the Frontier League draft and a player to be named later for Boomers first baseman Kewby Meyer and released Kent State product Connor Simonetti. They also placed pitchers Nick Deeg (14-day) and Juan Romero (7-day) on the disabled list, activated pitcher Juan Perez off the DL and signed rookie pitcher Austin Orvis from Augustana College.