Mequon, WI – After splitting the series 1-1 earlier in June against the Madison Mallards, the Lakeshore Chinooks returned home to take on the Mallards for the third time this season in game one of a two game series. The Chinooks would fall short resulting in a 6-2 loss in game one after pitching and run scoring would come up short for the team.

Cole Gnetz (Miami-Ohio) took the mound for the Chinooks to make his fifth start of the season coming in with a 4.11 ERA and racking up 16 strikeouts in nineteen and two thirds innings pitched. Gnetz would pitch a scoreless game until the top of the fourth after Matt McCann (Fairleigh Dickinson) and Sam Armstrong (Jacksonville) drew back-to-back walks. Zach Jarrett (UNC-Charlotte) reached on a fielder’s choice and Cameron Frost (Washington) ripped an RBI single to left that put the Mallards on the board first 1-0. Gnetz was tough on the mound getting out of runners on the corners and a bases loaded jam, but was taken out after throwing five innings, giving up three hits and only one run.

The Chinooks would remain scoreless, but the Mallards continued to stack on the runs in the top of the sixth. Chinooks made a call to the bullpen and brought in Austin Havekost (Kent State) who struggled to record an out during the inning. Jarrett doubled off the right center field wall and Frost advanced him to third off a single. Bryce Carter (Stanford) roped an RBI double to left center followed by a wild pitch that brought in the third run of the game making it 3-0 Mallards. Josh Stowers (Louisville) reached first off an error that scored Carter to make it 4-0 Mallards and Cam Comer (Virginia) walked. Havekost would be taken out after giving up four runs off of three hits.

Jack Landwehr (Illinois State) took the mound for the Chinooks to try and get the ball club out of the top of the sixth. Nick Roark (Oral Roberts) singled to left and Nico Hoerner (Stanford) added one more run after he reached on a fielder’s choice to complete the sixth inning with a 5-0 Mallards lead.

The Chinooks plated their first run in the bottom of the sixth against Mallards starter Mike Reitcheck (Penn) who made his fifth start of the season coming in with a 2-0 record. Tim Dalporto (Kent State) got it started with a single to right followed by a walk from Hayden Senger (Miami-Ohio) and Kurtis Brown (Richmond) hit an infield single that loaded the bases. A single from Owen Miller (Illinois State brought Dalporto home to make it 5-1 Mallards.

The Chinooks did not want the scoring to stop there. In the bottom of the seventh, Alec Olund (Purdue) singled followed by a walk from Joe Duncan (Eastern Illinois). Royce Ando (Michigan State) hit a deep sacrifice fly that scored Olund to bring the Chinooks within three and make it 5-2 Mallards.

Nolan Bond (Houston) came into pitch for the Chinooks in the top of the eighth after Landwehr threw two innings giving up only one hit and no runs. Bond would give up a single and a walk that allowed Roark to rip an RBI single and make it 6-2 Mallards.

Zach Reeg (Augustana) got called in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and would go scoreless bringing up the Chinooks offense in the bottom of the ninth. The Chinooks never seem to go down easy after James Bleming (Lehigh) and Olund both singled but got stranded on first and second and gave the team a 6-2 loss to the Mallards. Olund and Duncan would both go 2-4 from the plate. 

The Chinooks return home tomorrow night to take on the Mallards in game two at 6:35.

The Lakeshore Chinooks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 23rd 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 150 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 (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (CHC). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visithttp://northwoodsleague.com/lakeshore-chinooks or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App in the Apple App Store and set the Chinooks as your favorite team.