KALAMAZOO, MI – The Growlers fell in a 4-3 loss to the Lakeshore Chinooks in their first meeting of a two-game series.

Kyle Virbitsky started on the mound and pitched six innings with four strikeouts and only one earned run. The Growlers quickly retired the first three batters in the Lakeshore lineup to begin the game.

Following, the Growlers were retired with two left on base after Jonathan Foster was hit by a pitch and Matt Mervis walked in a scoreless first inning.

The Growlers picked up one run and two hits in the second inning to get on the board. A Zach Daniels single led to an impressive triple because of an error by the third baseman for the Chinooks. Daniels eventually scored on a single by Jordan Bowersox to make the score 1-0.

Lakeshore answered in the third inning when Andy Shadid hit a home run with two outs in the third inning. The Chinooks continued at the top of fourth inning with a single but were unable to score when Jason Sullivan and Brendan Rivoli teamed up for an excellent 6-4-3 double play.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Jonathan Foster was hit by another pitch to advance to first, and Matt Mervis followed with a single to center field. A sacrifice fly by Jason Sullivan allowed Foster to score, putting the Growlers up 2-1.

Lakeshore scored two in the sixth inning to take the lead, but Jonathan Foster hit a bomb and scored on a home run in the seventh to tie the game 3-3. The Chinooks answered in the ninth inning on an RBI single, and the Growlers were unable to capitalize on the 4-3 score.

The Growlers and Chinooks will meet again tomorrow night at Homer Stryker Field at 7:05 PM for Kalamazoo’s last game of this homestand.

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The Kalamazoo Growlers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Entering its 25th anniversary season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 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, 190 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR).  All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.growlersbaseball.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Growlers as your favorite team.