On Thursday, the Chinooks put five early runs on the board and pulled away for a 14-2 victory over the Bombers.
Right fielder Brett Siddall (Canisius) led Lakeshore and went 3-3 in the game. He had a double, home run and drove in four runs. He also scored three runs.
For his performance, Siddall was named the Northwoods League Player of the Night for July 3.
Third baseman Blake Butler (College of Charleston) went 4-5 in the game. He had a double and scored four times.
Southpaw Evan Kruczynski (2-3), an East Carolina product, tossed six solid innings. He gave up one unearned run off three hits.
Butler led off the game with a ground-rule double. Siddall and Michael Morman (Valparaiso) drew back-to-back walks by Bombers starter Kyle Slack. Catcher Zack Bowers (Georgia) brought Butler home with a single. Siddall scored on a fielder’s choice by Luke Meeteer (UW-Milwaukee).
The Chinooks tacked on three more runs in the second. Ryan Larson (Florida) advanced to first on an error. He scored on a single by Jake Noll (Florida Gulf Coast). Butler scored again on a basehit by Siddall. Morman also had a sacrifice fly that scored Noll in the inning. Lakeshore had a 5-0 lead.
In the fourth, Blake Butler was walked by Battle Creek reliever Dillion Engle. He scored on an error by third baseman Connor Panas.
Lakeshore put four more runs on the board in the sixth. Butler led off with another base hit. He scored on a triple by Jake Noll. Noll came across on a double by Brett Siddall. With one out, Engle was replaced by Bryan Daniello. Mitch Ghelfi (UW-Milwaukee) and Ryan Larson also had RBI singles in the inning.
Siddall had a two-run homer in the seventh. Ghelfi led off the eighth with a single off Matthew Rhodes. The right-hander then issued a walk to Sawyer Polen (Kent State). Ghelfi scored on another single by Butler. Polen also scored, and the Chinooks had a 14-1 advantage over the Bombers.
In the sixth, Connor Panas advanced on an error and scored on a double by Cody Kuzniczci. Panas also had an inside-the-park home run off Kyle Wood (Purdue) in the last inning.
Ryan Radue (Connecticut) relieved Kruczynski in the seventh. In two innings, Radue gave up no hits and had a strikeout. Wood gave up the one run off three hits in one inning. He struck out two as well.
After only two innings, the righty Slack (2-2) suffered the loss. He gave up four runs off five hits.
The team plays the Kalamazoo Growlers on Friday, July 4 at 6:35 p.m. They face the Growlers again on Saturday, July 5. On Sunday, July 6, they will begin a two-game series versus the Green Bay Bullfrogs. This series starts a six-game home stand at Kapco Park.
The Lakeshore Chinooks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 21st season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods 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 115 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (DET) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Allen Craig (STL) and Ben Zobrist (TB). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League YouTube channel<http://northwoodsleague.com/video/>. For more information, visit www.lakeshorechinooks.com.
