AVON, Ohio –Â The Evansville Otters saw the Lake Erie Crushers put up two crooked-number innings Saturday, leading to a 12-3 final in favor of Lake Erie.
The Crushers got after Evansville starter Steve Pastora early, picking up back-to-back hits in the first, but Pastora held Lake Erie to a single run in the first.
Evansville answered well in the second, taking the lead on a two-run home run from Justin Felix, his sixth home run of the season and second of the road trip.
However, the momentum settled into Lake Erie’s favor in the third, making it a rough inning for Evansville.
The first five Crushers reached in the third, scoring on RBIs from Kenen Irizarry, Jake Gitter, Connor Owings and Casey Combs.
Lake Erie chased Pastora from the game, striking for five runs total in the inning. From there, Ryan O’Reilly was brought in for the Otters.
Lake Erie extended their lead to 7-2 in the fifth on a solo home run from Connor Owings, his second RBI of the day.
In the seventh, the Crushers added another run, this time on a bases-loaded walk by Combs.
Evansville grabbed another home run in the eighth, a solo shot from Jeffrey Baez, bringing Evansville within five. Baez is up to five home runs on the season.
In the bottom half of the eighth, Lake Erie put the game away for good. The first four men reached two scoring on a two-run single from Jackson Valera. Two more runs scored in the inning on a double from Owings, giving the Crushers a 12-3 advantage.
Evansville managed a couple of base runners in the ninth but left them stranded.
Steve Pastora received the loss, allowing six runs on five hits, and failing to complete the third inning. Jason Alvarez grabbed the win, striking out seven in five innings while allowing just two runs.
With the loss, the Otters take another series loss on the road trip and are now 22-15 in 2022.
The two sides conclude the three-game set Sunday afternoon at 1:05 p.m.CT. Coverage starts at 12:50 p.m.CT on the Evansville Otters YouTube page.
The Evansville Otters are the 2006 and 2016 Frontier League champions.
The Otters play all home games at historic Bosse Field, located at 23 Don Mattingly Way in Evansville, Ind. Stay up to date with the Evansville Otters by visiting evansvilleotters.com, or follow the Otters on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
