Crushers squeak past Thunderbolts in home run derby

AVON — Connor Oliver gave Lake Erie the jolt it needed Saturday. The Crushers center fielder made a pair of clutch defensive plays, then tied the game with a two-run home run in the seventh. The teams were tied at 3 after 10 innings, sending the game to a home run derby tiebreaker. Lake Erie won it 3-2 at Mercy Health Stadium. Trevor Achenbach led the Crushers with two home runs. The Crushers go for the sweep tonight at 7:05. "I was just looking for something that I could drive up the middle and get the run in," Oliver said. "I've been working on some new stuff and it worked out tonight. I just want to keep it going." Lake Erie (18-16) got six innings out of former Midview standout Ryan Feierabend, but he ran into trouble in the third and fourth innings. No. 9 hitter Jake Hirabayashi led off the third with a double and former Crusher Zach Racusin drove him in with a single past short. The Thunderbolts added another run before Feierabend helped his cause with a great defensive play to end the rally with the bases loaded. The lefty took a liner off the arm that rolled off the mound toward first. Feierabend quickly recovered and flipped the ball to Steve Passatempo for a bang-bang play that went the Crushers way, ending the rally. Oliver helped keep the Thunderbolts off the board when they were threatening in the fourth, making a laser throw from center to home to hold Hirabayashi at third and keep the bases loaded with one out. Feierabend struck out Rob Calabrese, then Hirabayashi made an ill-advised attempt to steal home. Feierabend settled in and retired his final six batters, but Oliver lent a big assist in the sixth by running down what could have been a triple for Jack Strunc with a lunging catch that took him into the wall in left-center. Feierabend finished with five strikeouts, allowing nine hits and two walks with one hit batter. "On that ball that I caught out there, I just kept running," Oliver said. "I didn't think I had a chance at it, but I called our left fielder off and it went in my glove. It was great." Lake Erie's offense couldn't figure out Windy City (11-22) starter Logan Wiley for the first six innings. He retired the side in order four times and held the Crushers to two hits during that span. But the Crushers finally found some success in the seventh when Karl Ellison ended a string of 12 straight Crushers retired with a shot into left, reaching second on a fielding error and setting up Oliver for a two-run home run. Wiley, who was making his first professional start, went eight innings, allowing five hits and no walks with four strikeouts. Oliver denied him the win, but Windy City rallied to take the lead in the 10th, only for the Crushers to answer and force the home run derby. "I don't know about the home run derby, it's cool and all," Oliver said. "Home runs in games are great, but in BP some guys can do it and some guys just aren't as good." Contact Chris Sweeney at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeneyCT on Twitter.