Mequon, WI – Following a 5-1 loss in Madison last night, the Lakeshore Chinooks returned home for an early start in game two of a series against the only remaining undefeated team in the Northwoods League, the Madison Mallards.
The Chinooks first two batters reached base but were both thrown out by catcher Logan Michaels trying to steal second as Mallards pitcher avoided trouble in the Chinooks first plate appearances in an inning that also featured a strikeout.
The Mallards were locked in on Jarod Large, who took the mound with a 2.45 ERA for his second start of the summer, from the start. Mallards bats got going in the second inning following a hit by a pitch and a Drew Benefield single, Jarrett Scheelk crushed a double off the wall as the Mallards plated their first run. A based loaded sacrifice fly by EJ Ranel put the Mallards up 2-0.
The Mallards bats were clicking on all cylinders in the 3rd, starting the inning with three straight singles and the bases were cleared on a grand slam to dead center field by Drew Benefield making the lead 6-0. The Chinooks avoided any other damage as Ryan Schmit got the final two outs of the inning relieving Jarod Large.
Lakeshore tacked on two after a double past got jumping right fielder EJ Ranel that got to the wall scored Bertrand and Pinelas.
Madison built on their 6-2 lead in the top of the fourth as Drew Williams bounced a double down the left field line scoring Anderson. Williams later scored on a single by Logan Michaels making the lead 8-2. The Mallards tacked on another run in the top of the fifth via home run courtesy of EJ Ranel.
The Chinooks looked to mount a comeback in the bottom of the sixth as the bases were loaded on walks from Mallards pitcher Brian Weissert. Following another one-out walk that scored Griffin Doersching, a throwing error by Mallards third baseman Justice Bigbie that got by Jarrett Scheelk scored Austin Murr and Jake Malec cutting the Mallards lead to 9-5.
Drew Williams drove in Ben Anderson, who reached on a two-out double, and Bigbie after reaching on a walk scored via a double by Michaels. The Mallards two-out rally built their lead two 11-5.
The Chinooks tacked on one more in the bottom of the seventh, but couldn’t mount a comeback. The Mallards added another run in the top of the ninth and Deylen Miley avoided the bases loaded jam and put the finishing touches on a 12-6 win for the Mallards, who stay undefeated in this young Northwood League season.
The Lakeshore Chinooks set out tomorrow on a two-game road trip that starts a four-game series against the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters before returning home to Kapco Park for the final two games of the series. This game marks the seventh straight loss after a win to open the season for the Chinooks. As for the Mallards, they jump out to an 8-0 start marking their best start in franchise history. First pitch tomorrow is set for 6:35 PM from Witter Athletic Field in Wisconsin Rapids, WI as the Chinooks take on the Rafters.
The Lakeshore Chinooks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 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, over 200 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.
