As the saying goes, “Teamwork makes the dream work.”
In the first game of a series with the Windy City Thunderbolts, the Lake Erie Crushers continued their winning ways with a 5-2 victory June 9.
“For me, we are playing like a team,” Crushers manager Jared Lemieux said. “People are starting to get comfortable with their roles, and we are executing when we need to. The pitching staff is doing a great job of keeping us in every ball game.”
The Crushers won their fourth of their last five games to improve to 12-13, as the Thunderbolts dropped to 9-16.
“It’s good to see. The boys are working really hard and they deserve it. It’s really nice to win some ball games.” Lemieux said.
J.D. Hammer, who was brought in as a relief pitcher, got the start. He gave up three hits over four innings.
The only earned run was from a solo homer in the first inning. As the game waned, so did his performance to throw five strikeouts.
“J.D. (Hammer) and I have been talking. He thought it might be a good idea to start,” Lemieux said. “We are starting to extend him now. It looks like he is filling into that job nicely. He did a great job tonight.”
From the bullpen, Nathan Holt (2-1) received the win over three innings pitched for a hit, one earned run, a walk and three strikeouts. The pitching staff collectively struck out 10 batters.
The performance behind the plate was a team-effort. Leadoff hitter Todd Isaacs scored the first run in the first inning, but the bats were sparked from first baseman Gabe Snyder’s RBI double in the bottom of the third.
After a walk from Jiandido Tromp, shortstop Jarrod Watkins and Kenen Irizarry hit back-to-back singles in the fourth inning to tack on two runs.
“We are grinding out at-bats and are are finding successes, even in our failures. We are staying optimistic and that’s paying off,” Lemieux said.
With two outs in the eighth inning, right fielder Jack Harris hit a solo home run for run insurance.
THE SCORE
Crushers 5, Thunderbolts 2
