Mequon, WI – The Lakeshore Chinooks have been playing quite a bit of close baseball lately. They swept the Madison Mallards over the weekend behind two one-run victories, and they lost by just one run in an extra-innings contest against the Mankato MoonDogs on Monday. It was a similar story on Tuesday as the Chinooks were again defeated by Mankato in a one-run game, this one finishing 2-1.
It took until the top of the third for the first run to cross the plate, and it was Lakeshore taking the advantage. The run came courtesy of Greg Deichmann (Louisana State), who smacked a leadoff home run on the first pitch he saw in the inning. Deichmann has shown considerable raw power this season, and while it has not always shown up in games, it is clear this home run is something he will continue to see more of as he matures as a player.
John Schreiber (Kent State) was the starter for the Chinooks. After a tough outing last time out, he rebounded nicely, firing six innings of one-run ball on six hits while striking out three. The lone run scored off of him came in the bottom of the sixth. Schreiber walked Kevin Hall (North Alabama) to begin the frame, and he would later advance to third on a single off the bat of Christopher Bono (UCLA). The next batter, David Metzgar (Cal State Bakersfield), grounded to first base, but it was enough to bring in Hall to tie the game at 1-1.
Schreiber spent the early part of the year in the Lakeshore bullpen, but with the departure of some starters mid-season, he stepped up into a rotation spot. He has been brilliant in that role, allowing more than one run in just one start since taking over in the rotation full time. Altogether, he has a 2.56 ERA in five starts and six relief outings on the year.
The Chinooks threatened to break the tie in the top of the seventh after singles from Colby Fitch (Louisville) and Deichmann to put two on with two outs, but the team could not take advantage and the game stayed at 1-1. Zach Reeg (Augustana College) relieved Schreiber in the bottom half of the inning, holding Mankato scoreless in his only inning.
Andrew Shaps (Arizona State) came on for the eighth, keeping the Mankato offense at bay. The Chinooks could not break the tie in the top of the ninth, however, and Shaps came back out for another inning. This time the Mankato offense could not be stopped. Bono was hit by Shaps to lead off the inning, and an error made by first baseman Doug Kraeger (Richmond) put two on with one out. Shaps retired the next hitter, but then Paul Panaccione (Grand Canyon University) singled to bring home Bono, giving the MoonDogs their second walk-off win over the Chinooks in as many days. The run was not charged to Shaps given the error, but he was still the losing pitcher in the game.
The Chinooks return home on Wednesday to take on the Kenosha Kingfish. The club will then go on the road to Wisconsin Rapids and La Crosse for a four-game road trip.
The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. The 21 year old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 120 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (OAK). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.lakeshorechinooks.com.
