Kenosha, Wis. – The Kingfish took on the Lakeshore Chinooks in game one of the doubleheader in Kenosha. The Kingfish came out strong, silencing the hot Lakeshore Chinooks in the process and winning 7-1.
The Lakeshore Chinooks entered today 21-3 in the second half and winners of their last 11. In fact, they had scored 65 runs in their last four games. But today, the Kingfish put an end to it all. Leading the way was Kingfish starter, Rico Garcia, who went five and two thirds innings. In that timespan he dominated the Chinook bats, allowing no runs and three hits. At one point the “Hawaiian Hammer” and retired nine in a row. The bullpen kept things going later on with strong performances from Brett Shimanovsky and Gary McKenzie. In his first Kingfish appearance, Calen Rohrman and held them off Lakeshore for the final three outs.
The Kingfish jumped early with two runs in the first and eight of the nine batters coming to the plate. It started with two walks, advancing Godinez and Porter to first and second. Zach Ratcliff then hit an RBI-single to push the first run across. Buddy Reed followed suit with a RBI single of his own to give King Elvis’ crew a 2-0 lead. All told, the Kingfish battered the Lakeshore bullpen, drawing seven walks and clubbing 11 hits in the affair.
Kenosha added two more runs in the third on a two RBI double towards right center from catcher C.J. Saylor. Duffy Dyer’s team widened the lead when Buddy Reed notched an RBI single that plated Chris Godinez. The sixth would see two more runs score in the inning to total seven on the day.
After defeating the Chinooks in the first leg of a doubleheader on Wednesday afternoon, the Kingfish did so once more on Wednesday evening. The 3-2 victory was Kenosha’s tenth in their last 11 and a crucial outcome in the team’s quest for a playoff berth. The win, in combination with a loss by Wisconsin, pushed the Kingfish into playoff position with just 11 games remaining in the season.
The victory was a pitching duel throughout, as a total of just five runs were scored on the evening. The Kingfish owe their success to the recurrence of dominant pitching, this time from a host of arms. Starter Dillon Mazzoccoli struck out seven and had a one hit shutout going through four. Though he ceded two runs in the fifth, his bullpen had his back. Justin Peters collected two outs before paving the way for P.J. Schuster. The right hander dominated for 3.2 innings, blanking the Chinooks and picking up his eighth save in the process. Schuster has now gone 11 consecutive innings without yielding a run.
The Kenosha offense also played a key role in the game, coming up with enough timely hits to get the job done. OF Buddy Reed (3-5, 2B, R) compiled his fourth straight multi-hit game for manager Duffy Dyer. RF Alex Dunlap (2-4, R, RBI) also had a nice game, playing outfield for the first time this season. But it was C Michael Adkins (1-3, HR, BB) and his solo shot to left in the fifth that proved to make the difference. The efforts of the trio were enough to send the boisterous band of “Kenosha Krazies” home happy.
The Kingfish are on the road this weekend and return to Kenosha on Monday, August 4th to battle the Green Bay Bullfrogs. The night will be a doubleheader with the first game beginning in the 10th inning. It will start at 5:30 p.m., gates will open at 4:30 p.m. and the second game will start no sooner than 7:05 p.m. and be a complete nine inning contest. Currently the Kingfish are tied for the final playoff spot with 12 games to play.
The Kingfish office is located at 7817 Sheridan Road and is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. For more information on 7-game packs, season or group tickets, please log on to kingfishbaseball.com or call 262.653.0900.
