AVON — Rookie second baseman Zac Messer was the only Crusher without an RBI heading into Tuesday night’s game with Normal.
So, naturally, with two men on in the bottom of the eighth in a tie game, Messer lined a single to left, driving in one and setting the table for a huge four-run inning that gave Lake Erie the edge in a 12-8 slugfest over the CornBelters in front of 1,206 fans at All Pro Freight Stadium.
Messer’s single started it, but there were a ton of big boppers on this night for the Crushers (5-5), who had season high in runs, home runs (three) and hits (14). Five of their 14 hits were for extra bases, and all nine hitters in the lineup had at least one hit.
“I’ve been struggling at the plate lately,” said Messer, a Massillon native who was 1-for-4 with run and two RBIs. “I’ve been seeing it well, but I just haven’t been coming through when I started to swing the bat. I just went up there relaxed, knowing that everything in the past is the past, and just looked for something I could handle and put a pretty good swing on it. That was my goal.
“I noticed that the infield was in, so I just wanted to put it in play. To see it go through and get at least one run in was the bonus part of that situation.”
It was also only fitting that the Crushers’ offensive explosion occurred with hitting coach Dave Schaub serving as the acting manager because John Massarelli was at the high school graduation of his only daughter, Noel.
But, according to Schaub, he was getting constant text messages from his boss all night.
“I was not surprised (by our output),” Schaub said. “I think we have the lineup to do that consistently. To me, it was just a matter of time. The more games these guys get in, the more comfortable they’re feeling. Obviously, they have the experience and the potential to hit the ball like they did tonight.
“And it was big because they put it on when we needed it in a game like tonight’s, when you knew it was going to be a shootout from the get-go.”
Shortstop Andrew Davis, also overdue for a big game, finally got one, going 3-for-5 with his first home run, a double, a run and four RBIs. His two-run double in the eighth scored the final runs in that four-run inning.
“The whole game, every time we kept scoring, they kept battling back and tying it,” Davis said. “To bust out in the eighth inning with four runs was big.
“It’s kind of like everything’s contagious. When someone has a big game, someone else has a good game the next day. It just kind of builds off of each other. When everybody starts playing the same way the whole year, it’s kind of tough to beat someone when you have five or six guys all having big games at once.”
Kellen Kulbacki continued his recent torrid streak at home, going 3-for-4 with a double and two runs. Rookie Kyle Shaffer blasted his team-leading second home run of the season — and his second in as many games — while Scott Houin also blasted his first home run since 2009.
“That’s what we’ve come to expect out of Davis,” Schaub said. “He’s a big-game player who’s come through in the clutch for us more than anyone in the league in my opinion. That doesn’t surprise me at all.
“With Zac, his average doesn’t indicate the quality at-bats he’s been having. He works his butt off, and we’re happy to see him come through.”
Messer’s hit came after the Crushers greeted Jeremy Brewer (0-2) with a leadoff walk to Nick Mahin, a sacrifice bunt by Joel Collins and a two-base error when Shaffer’s fly ball down the right-field line was dropped by Asif Shah. Shaffer was thrown out at the plate on Messer’s hit.
With two outs, Patrick Norris followed Messer with an infield single, and Houin drove in Messer from second with an RBI single to make it 11-8. Then Davis came through with a two-run double to left-center to make it 12-8.
It could have been worse. Kulbacki followed Davis with a single up the middle. Davis, however, was caught too far off third base and was thrown out at the plate to mercifully end it for the Belters.
The rally made a winner of closer Ruben Flores (2-0). Despite allowing the game-tying double in the top of the eighth, Flores tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings with one hit, one walk and two strikeouts.
Flores’ outing was the lone bright spot in a rough pitching day for the Crushers. Starter Andrew Weeks, who came into the game 2-0, and relievers Andrew Berger, Jeff Cinadr and Kelyn Schellenberg all struggled against a Belters team that also pounded the ball all game long.
Nine of Normal’s 14 hits went for extra bases — seven doubles and two home runs.
“I had a feeling early in the game that it was going to be that kind of game,” Schaub said. “At the end of the day, we got the job done. That’s all I really care about.”
Contact Dan Gilles at 329-7135 or dangilles73@gmail.com.
