If there’s one certain strength the Crushers have this season, it’s pitching.
Through four innings, it looked like they’d get another pitching gem from Pat Ledet on June 19 against the Gateway Grizzlies.
But a bad sixth inning spoiled the fun, losing, 3-2, in front of 2,072 fans.
The Crushers are 17-16 overall.
Ledet carried a no-hitter into the fifth, but Matt Brown led off the inning with a single spoiling his no-hit bid.
Lake Erie struck in the bottom of the fifth with two runners at the corners, Bryan De La Rosa stole second base, prompting a bad throw from Gateway catcher Zak Taylor, scoring John Cable.
The Grizzlies scored three runs in the sixth. Andrew Daniel hit a RBI groundout, followed by Jamey Smart smacking a RBI triple scoring Brent Sakurai.
Matt Brown followed with a RBI single scoring Smart to take a 3-1 lead.
“I thought Ledet threw the ball really well,” Crushers manager Cam Roth said. “He was at 57 pitches going into the sixth and hats off to their guy, he wasn’t going to break any radar guns but knew how to pitch.”
Ledet went seven innings, yielding five hits, three runs, no walks and struck out six.
“I didn’t have as good of a command as I’ve had with my fastball,” said Ledet, sporting a 1.97 ERA. “But I was able to get in the zone and pound it low, hit my spots and mix it up. In baseball, sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it doesn’t.”
With two outs and Dale Burdick on second base after a double, Zach Racusin hit an RBI single to edge closer, 3-2, in the sixth.
The Crushers looked to have a chance to tie it in the eighth when Emmanuel Marrero hit a long shot to right field, but Luke Lowery batted it down over the wall, keeping it in the park for a double. Zach Racusin flyed out to left field to strand Marrero.
The Crushers finished with nine hits, led by John Cable going 3-for-3 and Marrero 3-for-4.
“Their right fielder probably won them the ballgame keeping some balls in the yard,” Roth said. “He was able to make some nice plays.”
Gateway starter Dominic Topoozian went six innings, giving up one earned run, striking out two with no walks.
“Nine hits today, that’s pretty good for us,” Roth said.
