Game Recap

Y’alls Falter in Middle Innings, Drop Road Opener

AVON, OH – The Florence Y’alls (3-4) saw their offense fizzle and their pitching falter in the middle innings during a 6-2 defeat to the Lake Erie Crushers (5-2) at Mercyhealth Stadium on Friday.

The Y’alls started the game quickly with a two-run first inning. After center fielder Cole Brannen singled and second baseman Andres Rios was hit by a pitch, a wild pitch allowed both runners to advance two bases, scoring Brannen and moving Rios to third. An RBI groundout by first baseman Brennan Price scored Rios from third, but the run proved to be the final time Florence would score on the evening.

Y’alls righthander Jake McMahill started his second game of the season and worked effectively through four no-hit innings before the Crushers mounted a fifth-inning rally. A leadoff single from Crushers right fielder Jack Harris preceded a two-run, game-tying home run from first baseman Vincent Byrd Jr. McMahill finished the inning, but left the game three batters into the sixth.

From there, Lake Erie kept the pressure on. The Crushers scored two runs in the sixth on only one hit thanks to an RBI fielder’s choice and a dropped third strike that allowed third baseman Brendan Dadson to score from third base. After six innings, the Crushers led 4-2.

In the seventh, the Crushers kept it up against the Y’alls’ pitching staff. A leadoff double from catcher John Tuccillo set up center fielder Sean Cheely, who singled him home from second base. Two batters later, second baseman Santiago Chirino singled to center to bring Cheely home from third base.

The 6-2 Lake Erie lead would hold, and Florence dropped its second straight game. The loss marks the first of the season against the Crushers and first road loss of the year for the Y’alls. Florence plays the second game of a three-game series against Lake Erie tomorrow at Mercyhealth Stadium at 6:05 PM ET.

The Florence Y’alls are Northern Kentucky’s professional baseball team, and are proud members of the independent Frontier League, an MLB Partner League. With a purposeful focus on entertaining our fans, the Y’alls provide affordable, family-friendly entertainment. Y’alls home games are played at Thomas More Stadium, located at 7950 Freedom Way in Florence, Kentucky. Florence kicks off the 2023 season with a six-game homestand May 11-18 versus Gateway and Joliet, and tickets are on sale now! More details can be found online at florenceyalls.com (http://florenceyalls.com/) or by phone at (859) 594-4487.