Mequon, WI – A familiar narrative unfolded Friday night at Kapco Park as the Lakeshore Chinooks struggled at the plate and committed a pair of critical errors in the field en route to an uninspiring 5-1 loss to the Green Bay Bullfrogs.
The loss is the Chinooks’ third straight. They avoided being shut out for the second time in three days thanks to center fielder DJ Lee’s sacrifice fly in the ninth inning.
Starting pitcher Konnor Ash threw 5 1/3 innings in the loss. The only earned run he surrendered came on his second pitch of the game thanks to Green Bay’s Jake Munoz’s leadoff home run. Nine of the 16 outs he recorded were ground ball outs. In his last two starts, Ash sports an 0.87 earned run average and has allowed only seven hits in 10 1/3 innings. Despite the strong start, he falls to 1-2 after receiving zero runs of support.
The Chinooks had chances to cut into what was at the time a 1-0 deficit in the fourth and fifth innings when they loaded the bases. In the fourth, Jack Dunn was cut down at the plate for the third out of the inning when a wild pitch rebounded off of the brick backstop behind the plate back towards Green Bay’s Austin Bates, who made an easy tag to help the Bullfrogs escape the jam.
The next inning, Lakeshore loaded the bases on three consecutive walks with one out. With Green Bay’s starter Ryan Gowens on the ropes and the top of the order at the plate, the Chinooks couldn’t get a run home after back-to-back popouts ended the threat.
After missing two excellent opportunities to tie the game or take the lead, Lakeshore’s two errors in the field allowed the Bullfrogs to extend their lead to a comfortable five-run margin the next two innings.
Lefty Trevor Smisek relieved Ash in the sixth inning, and four unearned runs crossed the plate while he was on the mound for the next 1 2/3 innings. The Bullfrogs scored their second run of the game in the sixth when catcher Christian Boulware’s attempt to throw out a runner at third base sailed into left field. Green Bay added three more runs in the seventh, centered around first baseman Ronnie Sweeny’s throwing error on a sacrifice bunt.
Aside from a pair of hits in the fourth inning, Lakeshore was limited to just two hits in the other eight innings. The Chinooks drew six walks at the plate, but a pair of infield singles accounted for the Chinooks’ only hits with runners in scoring position. . Lakeshore’s only extra-base hit was shortstop Jack Dunn’s leadoff double in the fourth inning.
The Chinooks hit the road for a two-game weekend series in Michigan against the Battle Creek Bombers. Right-hander Jacob Lindemann takes the mound for Lakeshore in search of his first victory of the season. First pitch is at 6:05 p.m.
The Lakeshore Chinooks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Now in its 25th anniversary season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 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 190 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.lakeshorechinooks.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Chinooks as your favorite team
