Crushers lose but manager sees positive signs

AVON — When is an 8-3 loss a good thing? Maybe never but Crushers manager Jared Lemieux saw positive signs Saturday night at ForeFront Field in front of 4,112 fans, as Lake Erie battled the first-place Washington Wild Things for the second night in a row. The Crushers fell to 16-22, breaking a modest two-game winning streak that included a 9-0 pounding of Washington on Friday. The Wild Things are firmly on top of the Frontier League's Mid-West Division at 26-10. "The guys fought hard," Lemieux said. "Washington's hot right now and we're right there toe-to-toe with these guys. With a little help, a little bounce and maybe something magic, we could have got them. But that's baseball and you just get regrouped and ready to get fired up and go hard (today)." Lemieux tried to provide the spark. After a disputed check swing that appeared to be a strike but became a walk instead, he got tossed for arguing the call. It led to a fourth run scoring in the eighth inning. Lake Erie's bats came alive in the bottom of the eighth to score three times. A two-run single by veteran shortstop Jarrod Watkins was the key hit but Washington answered with a four-run ninth. "I think the past two games have been really good," said Watkins. "We've been clicking on both cylinders more, playing better defense and pitching it better. I just think we have to keep helping our pitchers by just getting the runs. Maybe we've got to do that a little sooner." Lake Erie's runs came after Washington built a 4-0 cushion behind starting pitcher Maddox Long, who worked eight strong innings, striking out a season-high eight with no walks. Joe Redfield led off the eighth with a single to right and with two outs, Sebastian Alexander, who replaced injured left fielder James Jett in the top of the inning, singled to left. Watkins drove in both with a hit to right to pull Lake Erie within 4-3. Jett tried to make a diving catch hit by Washington's Caleb Ketchup in the top of the seventh that rolled all the way to the fence for a triple. However, Ketchup was stranded at third as Fraynel Nova struck out Fowler and retired Ryan Ford on a grounder to first. Nova, a 24-year-old right-hander, was perfect through innings for the Crushers. Nova survived a rough three-run fifth, fueled by an error, to come back and throw two more good innings. He gave up just four hits, three in the three-run fifth. He didn't walk anyone and struck out four. "This was a positive outing for Fraynel, definitely" said Lemieux. "I wish the bats could have given more support. He pitched very well and executed and kept pounding the zone and making the guys at the plate earn it. This was a very important night for him." Contact Tim Gebhardt at (440) 329-7135 or at timothygeb@msn.com.