Lake Erie Crushers Fall to Trois-Rivières, 9-4, in Canadian Road Trip Stumble

The Lake Erie Crushers (11-12) dropped the middle game of their Canadian road trip on June 3, falling to the Trois-Rivières Aigles (7-14) by a score of 9-4. The Crushers led through six innings before the game unraveled in the 7th and 8th frames.

Early Punch from Trois-Rivières

Both starters worked efficiently through the first two innings. The Aigles struck first in the 3rd when former Crusher second baseman Kenen Irizarry launched his second home run in as many games over the right field wall, giving Trois-Rivières a 2-0 lead.

The Crushers answered in the 4th after Trois-Rivières turned to reliever RHP Lucas Vega. Center fielder Joe Redfield reached third on wild pitches. Designated hitter Samuel Benjamin plated the first Lake Erie run on a groundout. Right fielder Garret Pike then drove in first baseman Jacob Tobias with a single and later scored on a two-RBI hit by shortstop Jarrod Watkins. Lake Erie flipped the score to 4-2.

Trois-Rivières pulled within one when center fielder Justin Farmer singled to score third baseman John Montes, making it 4-3 after four.

Helt Exits, Noriega Holds the Line

Crushers starter RHP Bob Helt worked into the 5th before being pulled, finishing with a line of 4.2 innings pitched, 5 hits, 3 earned runs, 4 walks, and 2 strikeouts on 92 pitches. LHP Branden Noriega entered with the tying run on second and two outs.

Montes singled to right, and former Crusher Sam Franco raced around third trying to score. Pike gunned him down at the plate with a strong throw, keeping the Crushers ahead 4-3 and preserving the lead.

Lake Erie had runners in scoring position in both the 5th and 6th innings but could not convert, leaving runs on the base paths as the Aigles bullpen held firm.

The Wheels Come Off

The Aigles tied the game in the 7th on back-to-back doubles from first baseman Emmanuel Tapia and John Montes, the latter coming with two outs and two strikes against RHP Christian Scafidi. The score was knotted at 4-4 heading to the 8th.

Left fielder Francesco Barbieri led off the bottom of the 8th with a double and scored the go-ahead run on a triple by catcher Connor Hicks. Redfield made a diving attempt in center but could not haul it in. Trois-Rivières led 5-4.

Scafidi was removed, but closer RHP Brandyn Sittinger could not stop the bleeding. The Aigles sent all nine men to the plate in the inning and scored four additional runs. The final damage was 9-4.

Decision

Alexander Castro (1-0) earned the win as part of a six-pitcher effort by Trois-Rivières. Scafidi (0-1) took the loss in his first decision of the season.

What’s Next

The Crushers look to salvage the finale against Trois-Rivières on June 4 at 7:05 p.m. They return to ForeFront Field in Avon to face the Evansville Otters on Tuesday, June 8, for a $2 Tuesday presented by Sahlen’s. Tickets are available at LECrushers.com.