The River City Rascals (33-30) mustered just two hits and were shutout for the second time this
season with a 3-0 loss to the Lake Erie Crushers (27-34) in a game that lasted a season low 2
hours and 15 minutes Wednesday night at Sprenger Stadium.
The shutout snapped the Rascals four game winning streak and it was the first time being
shutout since June 17th against Windy City.
Braxton Martinez and Johnny Morales provided both of the hits and four other Rascals reached
via the walk, giving the Rascals a few different scoring opportunities.
On the mound for Lake Erie was 2016 Frontier League All-Star Steve Hagan and the best
Rascals opportunities against him came in the fourth and the fifth inning.
In the fourth, Morales notched a single and then was advanced to second via a sacrifice bunt
from Josh Silver.
Mike Jurgella followed that up with a walk, however Paul Kronenfeld grounded into a double
play and the Crushers used that momentum to score what would go on to be the game winning
run in their next opportunity.
Rascals starter Reese Gregory was the man involved in the pitcher’s duel and after a leadoff
triple and a walk, he allowed a run to come into score on a sacrifice fly from Cody Lenahan in
the bottom of the fourth inning.
Gregory’s offense had the chance to tie the game up for him in the fifth as the first two batters
reached on a walk. Crushers starter, Hagan, made an adjustment though and tallied a pair of
strikeouts and got an inning ending flyout to halt the threat.
Gregory failed to get any run support and took his fourth loss of the year despite his seventh
quality start. The righty totaled seven innings and allowed three runs, earned, on four hits and
struck out five.
Besides the single in the fourth, the other two runs he allowed came in the sixth inning with a
two out, two-run home run off the bat of Austin O’Brien.
Reliever Storm Rynard completed the Rascals pitching staff with a scoreless eighth.
Hagan earned the win and like Gregory, lasted seven frames. Hagan allowed just the two hits
and struck out eight. Closer Chandler Jagodzinski secured the shutout with his 13th save of the
season, which is tied for third in the Frontier League.
River City looks to bounce back in the series finale on Thursday night as southpaw Dan Ludwig
takes the mound.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.
