Crushers ride five-run third to easy win over Otters

AVON — Some home cooking came at the right time for Lake Erie. The Crushers used a five-run inning to down Evansville 12-3 on Saturday at Mercy Health Stadium for their second-straight win as they start a nine-game homestand. Lake Erie is fresh off a 3-6 road trip, which included five losses in the final six games against the top two teams in the Frontier League's West Division. The Crushers look to extend their streak today at 2 p.m. in the series finale against Evansville. "It's been a funky year so far," said Lake Erie third baseman Connor Owings, who finished 2-for-4 with a home run, a double and four RBIs. "When we're swinging it we haven't been able to play defense and when we're pitching well we haven't been able to score runs. It's good to get back home and get a team win." Evansville (22-15) took a 2-1 lead thanks to Justin Felix's two-run home run, but the Crushers responded in the third when the first five batters reached safely, highlighted by Kenen Irizarry liner into left that tied the game. Lake Erie (16-22) was just getting started, going on to score five runs for a 6-2 lead. Jake Gitter drew a bases-loaded walk, Owings drove in Irizarry with a sacrifice fly and Casey Combs delivered a shot to the right field wall, driving in two and advancing to third on the throw. Combs joined the team at noon after just being traded from Florence and six hours later was calling pitches as the team's starting catcher. Lake Erie manager Cam Roth described Combs as a huge asset behind the plate. "There were a lot of mixed emotions yesterday," Combs said. "Today everyone did a great job of getting me settled in. They were able to help me get settled in really quick and I already feel comfortable here. I've got a few buddies I've got some history with on the team." Owings gave Lake Erie another insurance run in the fifth with a towering home run over the center field wall. He drove in two more with a double in the eighth. "A big inning and it was a team inning," Owings said of the third. "Everyone executed when we had the opportunity to execute. That set the tone for the rest of the game. It got us out in front and comfortable." Lake Erie got a strong start from Jason Alvarez, who allowed three hits with five walks and seven strikeouts in five innings. He kept Evansville off the board in every inning aside from the two-run home run in the second. He worked out of trouble a couple of times, including when the Otters had runners on second and third with one out in the first. Evansville also had two on and nobody out in the fifth before Alvarez induced a double play and then a fly out. Elliot Carney gave Lake Erie three strong innings of relief, allowing one run on three hits with four strikeouts. Kenny Wells slammed the door shut with three strikeouts in the ninth. "Alvarez has been a guy we can rely on," Roth said. "For him and Casey to be on the same page — because this is a very different park to call a game in than Florence — it's a pitcher's ballpark. To be honest with you, I thought Elliot Carney really saved our butts by coming in and giving us three solid innings with only 11 pitchers on the staff and being a little bit thin in the bullpen. We had 12 hits, but those two guys are the reason we won this game today." Contact Chris Sweeney at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeney1686 on Twitter.