Mequon, WI – Most of the Lakeshore Chinooks team got a day off on Tuesday, but the club had two players take part in the Northwoods League All-Star festivities. Lucas Raley (Lake Erie College) participated in the Home Run Challenge and was in the starting lineup for the South Division, and Bachar made an impact of his own out of the South bullpen. 

Raley was the first batter of the Home Run Challenge for the South Division. He smacked two home runs and also came close to adding to that total a couple of times. The team portion of the HR Challenge was ultimately won by the North Division by a final tally of 22-21. The winner of the individual title was Joe Deroche-Duffin of the Rochester Honkers with eight long balls. 

The All-Star game took place around an hour after the conclusion of the Home Run Challenge. Raley was in the starting lineup for the South squad as the cleanup hitter, and he actually played all nine innings of the game, which is a rarity for an All-Star game. Raley went 0 for 4, but he still managed to have a decent impact on the game. 

In the first inning, Raley came up to bat with one out and a runner on third and the game tied 1-1. Raley grounded out to shortstop, but the runner advanced to third, and that turned out to be key. The next batter, Max Ponzurick, reached on an error by North shortstop Paul Panaccione, scoring the runner and allowing the South to take a 2-1 lead. The next batter was retired, so had Raley not advanced the runner, that run would not have scored and the game would have remained tied. 

Raley also notched an RBI in the game. In the bottom of the eighth, Eric Filia of the Kenosha Kingfish singled, stole second and advanced to third on a Logan Regnier single. Raley then drove Filia in with a ground out to give the South an insurance run and make the game 3-1. 

Bachar also had an impact on the game. Coming out of the South bullpen, he fired a 1-2-3 fifth inning while striking out one batter, holding the South lead at 2-1. Not only that, but with the South ultimately winning the game 3-1, Bachar was named the winning pitcher of the game. 

Raley and Bachar have been great players for the Chinooks this season, and they showed just why by making their impacts on the All-Star game. These two players and the rest of the Lakeshore squad will be back in action on Thursday as they travel to Green Bay for a two-game series with the Bullfrogs.

The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. The 21 year old summer collegiate 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 120 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (OAK). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.lakeshorechinooks.com