Traverse City, MI – Back on the road again, the Chinooks (4-3) traveled to Traverse City, Michigan to take on the Pit Spitters (6-2) for their sixth away game already this season. Traverse City, wearing “Cherry Capital” jerseys, came into the game sitting atop the Great Lakes East division, and third overall.
Lakeshore put out a similar lineup that was written up for Monday’s rescheduled game against Wisconsin Rapids and the Sam Bryan and Sam Hunt battery would get two extra days before they took the field together, and with a change of scenery and opponent.
The Chinooks jumped ahead early in the top of the first by way of Prince Deboskie. A story that has repeated itself often this year, Deboskie singled and then proceeded to swipe second and third. Outlaw put a ball on the ground to the right side of the infield that would bring home Deboskie, 1-0 Chinooks.
Pit Spitters’ hitters took advantage of early inconsistency from Bryan who allowed three free passes to the first three batters he faced. A double-play turned conceded a run and tied the game at one apiece. A walk put runners on first and third, a tricky play that led to a late throw-down and scored another for the Pit Spitters, quickly reclaiming the lead and holding it through eight innings.
Later in the third, Piasecki scored again for Traverse City off a sacrifice bunt. Bryan’s night would end after dealing three innings on the mound, allowing 3 runs.
Andrew Neill, a University of New Mexico redshirt senior fresh off his season, replaced Bryan for his first appearance with the Chinooks. Dominate in his four innings, Neill allowed one run. It came in the fifth after the first two Pit Spitters reached on a single and walk, the only hit Neill gave up. A sacrifice fly punched in the extra run for the Cherry Capital.
In the Chinooks’ top half of the fifth, they doubled their runs and cut the lead to one before Traverse City pushed it back to two in their half at 4-2. Outlaw, a huge bat in the line-up for Lakeshore in the early season, took a ball outside on a 3-2 count that brought Hendrickson trotting home.
The eighth brought signs of another late-inning rally for the Chinooks. Roessler and Outlaw singled to open the inning, bringing up the clean-up hitter Sam Hunt with runners on first and third. Hunt drove the first pitch he saw to right, which would just be deep enough to score Roessler, advancing Outlaw on the toss home. 4-3 Pit Spitters, one out, tying run on second. Scaldeferri poked the first pitch into the hole, a tough play for third-baseman Carter Hain, that he booted into left field. The play moved up Outlaw to third still just one away. A fly ball into the death-triangle in center field looked like it may get down to score Outlaw, however a racing Sokolove took charge for the second out. Hackbarth would swing first pitch, four of six Chinooks’ batters did so in the inning, grounding out to short.
A comeback wasn’t in the cards for Lakeshore tonight and they fall 4-3 in game one of a two game series with the Pit Spitters at Turtle Creek Stadium in Traverse City, MI. First pitch for game two will again be at 6:05 pm CST. Lakeshore will look to stay above .500 as they come back home Friday for an extended home stand that will see 7 of the next 8 games at Moonlight Graham Field.
Article written by Sam Marchant.
