Despite committing four errors defensively, the Lakeshore Chinooks battled back all night long but eventually fell short to the home standing La Crosse Loggers 5-4 from Copland Park Sunday evening.

Coming into Sunday, Lakeshore held a three-game lead on the Loggers with nine games to play in the regular season setting up a huge two-game series that could end up telling the tale in the 2013 Northwoods League south division race.

The Loggers got on the board with a pair in the first inning off starter Kyle Bouman (Jefferson College) putting the first three men on base and plating two on an error by Sawyer Polen (Kent State University) at shortstop. 

La Crosse would add a pair on two RBI doubles by Brandon DeFazio and Jonny Bekakis to make it 4-0 after 4 innings.

Lakeshore responded scoring twice in the sixth inning thanks to a pair of Logger miscues.  Ryan Krill (Michigan State) singled putting runners at the corners with one out.  Andrew Stevenson (LSU) came in to score on a wild pitch to cut the lead to three.  Chris Manning (Valparaiso University) reached base on an error by the second basemen allowing Krill to score, trimming the lead in half.

The Chinooks used a two out rally to tie things up in the seventh when Stevenson doubled to keep the inning alive putting runners on second and third.  Polen followed with a walk and Mike Hollenbeck (Illinois State University) ripped a double down the left-field line plating two.

Grant Soderberg (Gustavus Adolphus) used his usual assortment of offspeed pitches surrendering just one hit out of the pen through his first 2 2/3 innings of work. However, it doesn’t take long to get timing down on someone who is not overpowering. The first two man to see Soderburg twice reached base. After Austin Rei moved up on a passed ball, Brandon DeFazio delivered an RBI double to give the Loggers the lead for good.

The win moves La Crosse within two games of the Chinooks for the division lead in the second half of the season.  The Loggers where also aided by the Battle Creek Bombers who shut out the Eau Claire Express Sunday to keep them 2½  games behind.  Lakeshore looks to bounce back Monday before continuing their season ending road trip in Waterloo, Iowa on Tuesday and Wednesday.