Game 1

Ashwaubenon, Wis. — A late surge from the Lakeshore offense wasn’t enough as the Chinooks fell in seven innings to the Booyah, 3-2. 

After Saturday night’s game was postponed due to torrential rain, the Lakeshore Chinooks (13-13), made the trek up north to face the Green Bay Booyah in two seven inning games. Game one’s first pitch was thrown at 10:30 a.m., the earliest start of the season for Lakeshore. 

For both teams, the early start proved to affect hitting the most as the two offenses combined for just five runs on seven total hits. 

Once again for Lakeshore, the first inning on the mound was a struggle. Grafton, Wisconsin native Tommy Lamb conceded the game’s first run of the double header on a wild pitch, scoring Green Bay’s speedy lead off man, Dalton Pearson. 

Capital Credit Union Park plays very favorably to hitters with its very short dimensions to left and right field. The converted soccer stadium’s right field wall features a new electronic scoreboard, standing much higher than the rest of the stadium’s outfield walls. 

The favorable dimensions see many balls hit out of the park in Green Bay. Green Bay’s Tyler Hollow took advantage of this, sending a ball to deep right field and out of the park for a two run home run as the Booyah took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. 

Just one hitter later, Lamb was lifted for Tyler Schweitzer. Lamb finished the morning striking out seven hitters on 3 and ⅔ innings, allowing the three earned runs. 

Unfortunately for Lamb, he never received any run support from his offense, getting no hit until the top of the fifth inning. 

Catcher Josh Glenn ended Green Bay starter Logan Lee’s no hitter on a leadoff home run over the right field electronic wall, getting a Chinook rally going late in the ball game.

Schweitzer, southpaw from Ball State University, kept the Chinooks in the game, fanning five Booyah hitters and not allowing a single hit. 

“My approach was to get ahead of the hitters with my off speed.” Shweizter said. “Then to attack the inside part of the plate with fastballs and it showed to be effective.”

With the double header moving the game to just seven innings, the Lakeshore offense ran out of time for their comeback to be completed. 

In the top of the seventh inning, the Chinooks bats got going again thanks to the work of Glenn, who doubled to right field and scored the final Chinook run on a Dalton Doyle sacrifice fly. 

Game 2:

The Chinooks received the harmony they’ve longed for. 

Though a multi-run deficit was at hand after the first inning, Lakeshore didn’t quit. 

It wasn’t pretty for right-handed starter Jack Kartsonas, but the Lakeshore lineup heated up and watched five timely hits in the sixth culminate in the same number of runs to earn its first road win since Monday, 6-5. 

“Today could have gone either way,” Chinooks field manager Travis Akre said. “We could have swept or been swept. Kudos to they guys for hanging in there and grinding out this win. Hopefully it’s the start of a big week!”

Garnering his second save of the season, right-handed reliever Jacob Henderson watched a leadoff home run of Booyah second baseman Tristin Garcia sail over the center field wall.

The Chinooks (13-13) may have had their lead sliced to 6-5, but the Iowa redshirt freshman locked in. 

“I just had to remember that I got eight guys behind me and that they were going to make plays for me,” said Henderson, who guided the Chinooks to the win after allowing the go-ahead run to the Mallards on Wednesday at Kapco Park. 

After Kartsonas surrendered three earned runs through six innings, Henderson forced a game-ending 6-4-3 double play despite surrendering a one-out single that moved first baseman Nathan Blasick into scoring position. 

“Hendo really battled today,” Akre said. “After giving up that leadoff home run and walk, he had to make a lot of stress pitches. But he made a big pitch with that double play and a great turn by the middle infielders.” 

As they’ve earned a reputation for late-inning surges, it was the sixth that powered Lakeshore far enough. 

First baseman Griffin Doersching worked a five-pitch walk, sending second baseman Colton Bauer into scoring position. Bauer scored on an RBI single to left field to pull the Chinooks within three runs, 5-2. 

With two outs and Gray still at second base, third baseman Dalton Doyle knocked an RBI double to left, also scoring Doersching. Doyle scored Lakeshore’s only unearned run — its final — that decided the contest. 

Kartsonas (2-1) earned the win in addition to Henderson’s save, while Booyah starter Evan Estridge was tagged with the loss having been the victim of the Chinooks’ scoring surge. 

“We are in a great place heading back home,” Henderson said. “We have been playing some good baseball and knew that it was all going to turn around sooner than later. We have a great group of guys and I’m excited to see a lot more W’s.”

The Chinooks and the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders will get back together at Kapco Park for a doubleheader Monday at 3 p.m. after their initial meeting Friday was postponed due to fog.