Game Recap

Big Innings Sink Y’alls in Series Defeat

FLORENCE, KY – The Florence Y’alls (35-52), presented by Towne Properties, surrendered multiple lengthy rallies and 14 total runs in a series-clinching defeat to the Lake Erie Crushers (35-52) on Thursday, August 24th.

Florence jumped on the scoreboard first in the opening inning. Designated hitter Brennan Price’s solo home run put Florence ahead 1-0 early against Lake Erie righthander Stephen Chamblee (4.0+ IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K). The Crushers took their first lead of the day in the top of the third inning with a home run of their own. Right fielder Jack Harris’ two-run blast began a scoring outburst on the evening.

Florence got a run back in the third when third baseman Brian Fuentes hit a two-out RBI single to score left fielder Lane Hoover, but Lake Erie began chipping away against Florence starter Edgar Martinez (5.2 IP, 7 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 4 BB, 8 K), who struggled throughout the evening. The Crushers plated three more runs in the fourth. Center fielder Sean Cheeley and shortstop Jarrod Watkins led off the inning with back-to-back doubles before a trio of wild pitches scored Watkins, allowed third baseman Kenan Irizarry to reach on a strikeout, and moved him on to third base. Second baseman Sam Frontino’s RBI fielder’s choice capped the rally for the Crushers, who exited the half inning leading 5-2.

Florence tied the game in the fifth with a promising rally. Nine hitters came to the plate and three scored versus Stephen Chamblee, who exited the game with the bases loaded, nobody out, and the Crushers in front 5-4 following second baseman Tristin Garcia’s two-RBI ground rule double. Lake Erie righthander Perry Bewley entered the inning and walked designated hitter Brennan Price to score a game-tying run, but struck out the next three hitters he faced to escape the jam with the game tied 5-5.

From there, Lake Erie teed off for a game-clinching onslaught in the sixth. The Crushers brought 12 hitters to the plate and scored seven runs to leap ahead for good. Kenen Irizarry’s two-run home run began the scoring before a two-RBI double from first baseman Josh Rego and a two-run single from center fielder Sean Cheeley helped cap the rally. After six full innings, Lake Erie led a controlling 12-5 lead.

The Y’alls scored five runs in the ninth against righthander Shane Gustafson, but the offense proved to be too little too late against the Crushers, who cruised to a 14-10 win and their third series win over the Y’alls in as many tries in 2023. Florence travels to Evansville on Friday to begin its penultimate road series of the 2023 season. First pitch for Game 1 from the Otters’ Bosse Field is scheduled for August 25th at 6:35 p.m. CT.

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. More details can be found online at florenceyalls.com (http://florenceyalls.com/) or by phone at (859) 594-4487.