After some days off due to the all-star break, the Lakeshore Chinooks (8-14) were back in action Thursday night to take on the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders (11-11) at Moonlight Graham Field. The Chinooks fell 11-7 to drop their sixth straight game. 

“Just need to stick with it and know that there’s a lot of baseball left for us, and need to take it day by day,” field manager Trevor Cho said about getting back on track.

Mitch Alba got the start tonight for the Chinooks and it was a short outing for the right hander. In 3.2 innings of work, he allowed 4 earned runs, nine hits, and four strikeouts.

The Dock Spiders grabbed an early lead in the top of the second inning. Alba allowed a couple singles and a walk to load the bases with nobody out. Then, Jared Heinzen drove in the first run of the game on an RBI single to make it 1-0. Yet, Alba was able to get out of it and limit the damage to just one in the inning.

Fond du Lac threatened to add on to its lead in the top of third. With a runner on second, Lakeshore right fielder Adam Cootway made an incredible diving catch to rob the Dock Spiders of a hit, and possibly a run as well.

The Chinooks got the offense going in a big way in the bottom of the frame. Will Johannes led things off with a single, and both Carson Hansen and Jacob Nelson walked to load the bases with nobody out.

Drew Townsend drove in the first run for the Chinooks on a fielder’s choice. Jack Counsell followed that up with an RBI-double down the right field line to put Lakeshore in front 2-1. After Joey Spence was hit by a pitch to load the bases again, Sam Hojnar hit a two-RBI single to extend the lead to 4-1.

However, that lead would not last long for the Chinooks. Alba found himself in more trouble in the top of the fourth. Two singles and a walk quickly loaded the bases again for Fond du Lac. Drew Barragan drew a walk with the bases loaded to bring in a run.

It got worse before it got better for Lakeshore. An error brought in another run to make it a 4-3 game. Then, Travis Strickler drove a two-RBI single to give the lead back to the Dock Spiders, 5-4. Fond du Lac tacked on another on an RBI single from Parker Knoll to cap off a five-run inning, and Alba’s night was done.

Zach Slome came in with two outs in the fourth and was able to finally end the inning.

Lakeshore was able to get one back in their next at-bat. Carson Hansen smacked a one-out double down the left field line for his second hit of the season. A balk then allowed Hansen to move over to third and that came back to hurt the Dock Spiders. Drew Townsend did his job by driving in Hansen on sac fly to center to make it a one-run game again at 6-5.

In the top of the fifth inning, Seth Sweet-Chick hit a no-doubt home run to left field to bring the lead back to two at 7-5.

The Dock Spiders would tack on another in the top of the seventh due to a Jake Surane RBI-double down the right field line to make it 8-5.

In the top of the ninth, Fond du Lac added three more to put this one out of reach at 11-5.

The Chinooks made some noise in the bottom of the ninth. Drew Townsend hit an RBI single with the bases loaded to drive in a run, his third RBI of the game. Jack Counsell also brought in a run on a sac fly to make it a 11-7 ballgame, but it wasn’t enough.

Fond du Lac outhit the Chinooks 17-9 and both teams committed two errors.

“It just goes back to mentally preparing and I think if you’re playing at this level (there) should be no rust, and be ready to go,” Trevor Cho said about the errors tonight.

The Lakeshore Chinooks will travel to Fond du Lac to take on the Dock Spiders again tomorrow night. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. CST.