Lake Erie gets rest ahead of showdown

The Lake Erie Crushers’ pursuit of a Central Division championship took a weather-induced day off as rain and the threat of more rain resulted in the postponement of the final game of a three-game series with the Gateway Grizzlies on July 15.

The Crushers open a three-game series with Schaumburg at Mercy Health Field at 7:05 p.m. on July 16. First place in the division will be on the line. The teams were tied for first at the start of action on the July 15 with identical 23-20 records.

The Crushers have won six of their last 10 and split a doubleheader with Gateway on July 14, winning the opener 9-5 and losing the nightcap, 3-2.

Crushers manager Dan Rohn said the team is still trying to find its groove.

“We’re still trying to tinker and add and subtract and do what we can do to get us over the hump. It’s still really early. I don’t really look at the record,” said Rohn.

The one reason the Crushers have been winning has been the hitting of outfielder, Issac Benard. He leads the Frontier League in hitting with a .356 average.

“He’s just a good hitter,” said Rohn. “He’s a proven professional hitter.”

Bernard was drafted by Tampa Bay in 2016. This year for the Crushers, he’s hit three home runs and driven in 17, while scoring 25 runs.

His strong showing with the Crushers could land him a job with a Major League organization, said Rohn.

“I fear we are going to lose him in the next couple of weeks after the draft,” Rohn said.

Benard was taken in the late rounds of the 2016 draft by Tampa Bay. He is the son of former Major Leaguer Marvin Benard, who played for nine years with the San Francisco Giants in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Second baseman Trevor Achenbach has also been on a tear. He is hitting .318 with a team-high seven home runs and 31 RBI. Achenbach, Benard and third baseman Javier Betancourt have all three been on fire over the past seven days.

Achenbach hit .520 over the span with three home runs and 14 RBI in 25 atbats. Betancourt is hitting .533 in the same time frame and Benard .519.

Lake Erie as a team has hit .314 over its past six games.

And the Crushers continue to be one of the top pitching teams in the Frontier League. They are fourth in pitching with a team ERA of 3.86.

Ryan Feierabend continues to grind on the hill for the Crushers. He was scheduled to start the July 15 game but was rained out. The Midview grad and former major leaguer is 3-2 on the season with 4.31 ERA. He’s struck out 35 in 39 2/3 innings.

“The record doesn’t mean anything,” Rohn said in regards to Feierabend, a lefthander who is hoping to make it back to the big leagues. “It’s how he throws and how he gets people out. He’s a left-handed finesse guy who uses control and stability to make people chase,” said Rohn.

What’s next: The Crushers host Schaumberg in a three-game series starting on July 16 at 7:05 p.m.; July 17 at 6:05 p.m. and July 18 at 2:05 p.m.