The Crushers rallied with three runs in the eighth inning, but host Evansville hung on for a 7-6 victory Aug. 30.
In the eighth inning, Luis Acevedo hit an RBI single, and Jarrod Watkins drove in two runs with another hit, bringing Lake Erie within one run.
The Crushers put a runner on second with two outs in the ninth inning, but the Otters got a groundout to end the game.
Watkins finished with three hits, including a double, and one run scored.
Nathan Archer (Keystone) hit a two-run home run, his second since joining the team earlier this month.
The Crushers had 13 hits as a team.
Starter Cobe Reeve gave up all seven runs, in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out three and walked two.
Lake Erie begins the final week of the season with three games at Windy City beginning Sept. 1.