The Rafters took no time getting on the scoreboard as three singles from Josh Nicoloff, Jake Dunham, and Peter Matt, as well as a sacrifice fly from Rich Ciufo, helped the Rafters plate two runs in the top of the first. Josh Nicoloff helped the Rafters add onto their lead in the second with an RBI single to right field.
Nathan Hemmerling toed the rubber for the Rafters on Saturday night with a 3.70 ERA on the season. Hemmerling avoided trouble in the first two innings and closed out the second by picking off Jeff Holtz at second base. Hemmerling cruised through 5 innings allowing just 5 base runners on 3 hits from the Chinooks offense.
Lakeshore’s offense couldn’t get the bats going on Saturday night as just 5 Chinooks reached base via hit and were shutout at home.
The Chinooks looked to mount a comeback as the Rafters built a 5-0 lead in the seventh. Austin Murr and Cameron Hart reached base, but a ground ball to Williams at second base turned into a 4-6-3 double play quickly giving the Rafters two outs in the inning. A groundout by Jake Malec ended the inning as the Chinooks failed to score.
The bright spots of the game came from Ross Messina, who recorded two of the Chinooks five hits on the game, as well as the Chinooks middle infielders Savier Pinelas and Cameron Hart, who helped turn three double plays on Saturday night.
Rafters pitchers Hemmerling, Hunsicker, and Borzone along with the help of their defense combined to shut out the Chinooks offense at Kapco Park allowing just 11 Chinooks baserunners throughout the game.
Wisconsin Rapids took three out of four from the Chinooks in two games at Witter Athletic Field and two at Kapco Park. The 3-9 Chinooks travel to Green Bay tomorrow for their first two games against the Booyah this season. The Chinooks are set two play seven out of the next eight games away from Kapco Park. It is set up to be a pivotal road trip as they look to dig themselves out of the last place spot in the Great Lakes West Division of the Northwoods League and start to climb the standings.
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 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.