AVON — Two weeks ago, Lake Erie Crushers catcher Todd Balduf was still a full-time insurance salesman for Liberty Mutual in Columbus.

You’d understand, then, Balduf being a bit intimidated in Monday night’s fifth inning, the Crushers on the brink of elimination from the Frontier League championship series — and being no-hit by River City pitcher Stephen Flake.

Pressure? Nah.

Balduf coolly drew a two-out walk, two teammates followed and Andrew Davis’ dramatic, full-count grand slam led the Crushers to a 4-1 win and a decisive fifth game Wednesday night in O’Fallon, Mo.

“In that situation, you can’t do anything out of the ordinary,” Balduf said. “We had hit the ball well all game, so we weren’t trying to do anything extraordinary, just look for a good pitch to hit.”

Flake through 42/3 innings in no way resembled the pitcher the Crushers twice had hit hard earlier this season — as a Windy City Thunderbolt, Flake was shelled by Lake Erie twice — including June 2 in Lake Erie’s home opener — to the tune of 10 runs on 13 hits in 72/3 innings.

Sure, Flake had walked three and hit a batter up to the critical juncture, but he also had struck out three and retired the previous five Crushers on 12 pitches.

He also got help from his defense, to which Balduf alluded: In the first, Davis was robbed by right fielder Scott Houin, who leaped up and over the right-field wall to bring back his home run. In the second, Rascals left fielder Chad Maddox took extra bases away from Eddie Tisdale with a sliding grab in the left-center gap.

The walk to Balduf — a .222 hitter in six playoff games — began Flake’s downfall. Rivera, a .219 postseason hitter, followed with a five-pitch walk, and after a visit to the mound by River City manager Chad Parker, Sunday night hero Drew Saylor walked on four pitches.

Davis fell behind, 1-2, fouled off two pitches, worked the count full and drove Flake’s pitch over the 400-foot sign in center field.

“It’s not really too frustrating,” Davis said of the Rascals’ stellar defense. “It’s just one of those things where we’re having good at-bats, we’re getting good wood on the ball and they’re just making great plays. Stuff’s going in their favor, you’ve just got to keep going and just keep doing what you’re doing. Eventually, they fall, like tonight.”

Flake, making his first postseason appearance, had won five of his season’s final six starts after joining the Rascals in mid-July. He wasn’t dominant in that stretch, with a 5.29 earned run average, but he did strike out 11 in an 8-5 win over Gateway.

In taking the loss on Monday, Flake walked six Crushers and allowed four runs on only Davis’ hit.

“You have to admit, we probably hit the (bleep) out of the ball the first three innings,” Crushers manager John Massarelli said. “It wasn’t your typical guy throwing a no-hitter where he’s dominating. I give credit to Flake. He pitched well. He threw strikes. But those first three innings … we thought somebody had snake-bitten us.”

And for Balduf — who was lured out of his cubicle by fellow former Kent Staters Davis, Saylor and J.J. Pacella — that insurance commission will have to wait at least two more days.

“When they called me, it was something I had to do,” he said. “The camaraderie here is good. They took me in like I’d been here all year. I’m looking forward to Wednesday.”

Contact Joel Hammond at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.

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