The Lakeshore Chinooks achieved two franchise records on Monday. First, the team won their tenth consecutive game, and they also scored 18 runs.
Lakeshore defeated Mankato by the final score of 18-5 at Franklin Rogers Park.
Second baseman Jake Noll (Florida Gulf Coast) went 4-7 with four singles. He scored also four runs and drove in one run.
Ryan Krill (Michigan State) went 1-4 and knocked in four runs. Left fielder Connor McKay (Kansas) went 3-4, scored three runs and had 2 RBI.
Right-hander Mike Letkewicz (Augustana College) moves to 2-2 on the season. He relieved starter Will Headean (Illinois State) in the fifth. In three hitless innings, he had three strikeouts.
In the third, the Chinooks took a 2-0 lead. Center fielder Luke Meeteer (UW-Milwaukee) drew a leadoff walk. Noll singled to right field off MoonDogs starter Brandon Zywicki. Meeteer and Noll scored on a two-run single by Brant Valach (Eastern Illinois).
Tyler Sullivan reached first on a bunt single in the bottom half of the third. He advanced to second on an error by Noll. With two outs, Tanner Rockwell tied the game with a two-run homer off the lefty Headean.
Lakeshore put one run on the board in the fourth. After being hit by Zywicki, Mitch Ghelfi (UW-Milwaukee) scored on an error by second baseman Brett Synek. The Chinooks led 3-2.
The MoonDogs gained the lead, 4-3 in the bottom of the inning. Headean issued a walk to left fielder Patrick Massoni. Sullivan then singled for the second time. The pair scored on a two-run single by Brett Synek.
Designated-hitter Kyle Wood (Purdue) walked in the fifth and Ghelfi advanced on a single. With one out, Zywicki was relieved by Jacob Westerhouse. Connor McKay had a single and Wood scored.
The Chinooks took the lead again on a Ryan Krill putout. Meeteer singled to center field and McKay also scored.
In the sixth, the team blew things open and put three more runs on the scoreboard. Jake Noll and Brant Valach started with back-to-back singles. Noll scored on a fielder’s choice given to Mitch Ghelfi. Krill knocked in two more runs with a single.
The Lakeshore offense kept rolling in the top half of the seventh. Butler drew a walk and Noll singled once again. Butler scored on an error by reliever Chris Sauer. Kyle Wood also had a sac fly to right and Noll came home.
In the eighth, the Chinooks exploded for seven more runs. The lefty Sauer issued consecutive walks to Connor McKay and Ryan Krill to start the frame. With no outs, he was relieved by fellow left-hander Matt Wilson.
Luke Meeteer immediately singled and McKay came home. Pinch-hitter Ryan Larson (Florida) doubled and both Krill and Meeteer scored. Wilson gave up four straight singles and the Chinooks scored twice. Mitch Ghelfi had an RBI fielder’s choice in the same inning. Krill hit a sacrifice fly and collected his fourth RBI of the game as well. Lakeshore led 18-4.
Right-hander Chase Radan (UCLA) tossed a shutout eighth and record two strikeouts. Infielder Ryan Krill gave up one unearned run off one hit in the ninth. He also struck out one batter.
Zywicki (0-1) took the loss for Mankato. In four and one-third innings, he gave up five runs off five hits. He issued three walks and had three strikeouts.
Lakeshore will take on the MoonDogs again tomorrow, July 29 at 7:05 p.m.
They will play a split-location doubleheader with the Kenosha Kingfish on July 30. The first game will be at Simmons Field in Kenosha (12:05 p.m.). The second contest will take place at Kapco Park in Mequon (6:35 p.m.).
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.