The Chinooks made their way up from Kokomo to Royal Oak, Michigan for a two-game series starting Wednesday night. Lakeshore looked to stay red-hot and improve to 3-0 for the first time since 2012. Royal Oak came into the game with nothing to lose, starting 0-2 amid troubles scoring runs.

Runs came in bunches on both sides. Starting in the first, UW-Milwaukee standout, Gabe Roessler came around to score on a past ball after reaching on a walk.

The Chinooks added two walks to that total and a base hit by Von Schlegell, one of four for the Chinooks in the game, to load them up with no outs. Perez singled on a ball that died into shallow center for his first Chinooks RBI and doubled the Lakeshore lead, 2-0. A ball laced down the left field line brought two more runs across and tallied seven RBIs on the season for Deboskie. Fianlly, Roessler would poke a fly ball to left field that was just deep enough to score Perez from third and give the Chinooks an early 5-0 lead.

Royal Oak, who had difficulties plating runs with six combined in their first two games, brought two around in the third after two quick outs from Mitch Alba. They came off a Dureya double to center and single to right from Lareau, cutting the lead to three at 5-2.

After adding another run in the fourth compliments of two errors, two walks, and a hit by pitch the Chinooks would find themselves up three, but in trouble. Overholt would single and advance to second on an error before Ball landed a ball in right field for an RBI. Alba struck out the next two batters he faced, but didn’t get the third out before Mckay would clear the fence in right for a two-run homerun bringing the Leprechauns within one, 6-5.

Gabe Cook would replace Alba in the fifth, allowing the first four men he faced to reach on a walk and two singles, and a two-RBI double by Riley Frost that would give Royal Oak their first lead of their 2024 inaugural season. The Leprechauns extended their lead after two outs by Cook on an Evan Bottone single to center, driving in two and making it, 9-6.

Lakeshore’s grit came through in the top of the sixth with two outs. With two men on courtesy of free passes, Sam Hunt singled to shallow center field advancing both runners. A throwing error by Royal Oak centerfielder, Lareau, brought both runners around and closed the gap to one, 9-8. After a wild pitch and another walk, Hunt and Hackbarth occupied third and first, accordingly. In a succesful attempt to steal second, Leprechauns catcher, Collin Overholt, threw the ball away into centerfield allowing Hunt to scoot home and notch the game up at 9.

Neither team would plate another run after 18 stragiht batters were retired before Deleskiewicz walked Frost in the bottom of the 9th, but no damage was done.

Lakeshore would head to extra innings for the second time this week. In the 10th and 11th both teams would plate only one run and it seemed Royal Oak had a few chances to walk-it-off.

The Chinooks found themselves in a familiar place in the top of the 12th, but this time only pushing one run across after a Fowler close-call sacrifice bunt followed by a deep drive from Von Schlegell to send Hackbarth across.

Needing just three more outs, UW-Oshkosh pitcher Connor Walters would enter the game for the Chinooks. A sacrifice bunt moved the tying run to third with one out. Mckay would walk for the fourth time in the game followed by Boike to load the bases. With no room for anyone to go, Walters would attack Lareau getting him to swing first pitch. On 3-2 Walters blew a pitch past him for out number two. Down in the count, 1-2, Kostic drove a ball down the right field line that touched grass and was surely the walk-off hit Royal Oak was searching for. Both men came around to touch home, but Kostic was immediately dropped to the ground with an injury following his swing and before he could make his way to first Lakeshore secured the out giving them the 12-11 victory in chaotic fashion.

Walters pitched a scoreless, hitless twelfth giving him the win, his first as a member of the Chinooks. While plating 12 runs, Lakeshore only grabbed 4 hits in the game, instead reaching by means of free passes and stealing extra bases. They took advantage of seven errors from the Leprechauns, scoring seven unearned runs and clawing their way back to victory once again.

Lakeshore moves to 3-0 on the season for the first time since their inaugural season in 2012, while Royal Oak falls to 0-3 and searches for their first win.

The final game of the roadtrip for the Chinooks will again be against Royal Oak in less than 12 hours with first pitch set for 10:05 am CST.

For more historical statistics visit the NWL Stat Archive.