Mequon, WI — On the field after Sunday’s game against the Madison Mallards (9-3), the Lakeshore Chinooks (6-6) autographed personalized balls for young fans who attended.
Just fifteen minutes before, in the bottom of the eighth inning, third baseman Ethan Hindle (Kentucky) signed off on the Lakeshore victory with a three-run home run to push the Chinooks lead to an inescapable 8-4. The Chinooks would end up winning 8-5 behind Hindle’s 3 RBIs, five steals for the team and an utterly dominant outing from reliever Michael Gray (Denison University), who earned the win.
Hindle and the Chinooks started out quickly to make the game easier on themselves. After ‘Nooks starter Evan Shapiro faced the minimum in the first, center fielder Griffin Cameron roped a comebacker off the pitcher and stole second. Then, Hindle singled to left and second baseman Jack Counsell bashed an RBI single to left to open the scoring. With no outs, Hindle led an aggressive double steal, and catcher Vidal Colon rewarded him with a 2-RBI knock back up the middle. Eventually, Colon came around to score after first baseman Gene Trujillo chopped a single to right. The lead had quickly ballooned to 4-0.
“[Starting out early] is huge. It’s been one of our main focuses the past couple weeks, we really just start hammering it out on the offensive side,” the infielder said. “When we’re able to do that, it really does slow the game down.”
Unfortunately for Shapiro, things sped right back up. He allowed two baserunners before Mallards right fielder Liam Moreno smoked a run-scoring stroke into right. Then, the Mallards pushed two more runs across to cut the once grand-slam lead into a one-run advantage for Lakeshore.
In the second, Cameron walked, and again stole second. The Chinooks couldn’t score him, but on his trip to the keystone, he notched his second steal of the game. He would steal one more Sunday, giving him 20 bags swiped already through just 17 games.
The three-steal game moved the Chinooks center fielder into second in the division and tied for eleventh in the entire Northwoods League. Cameron now has the most steals per game of any player with at least 15 games so far this summer.
For Lakeshore, the third inning was one of missed opportunities. Trujillo hit a high foul pop on what figured to be a successful double steal attempt, negating the advancements, and then the Mallards made an excellent play to keep the lead at one. Shortstop Gabe Roessler singled to right, but pinch-running Chinooks All-Star Dominic Kibler was thrown out at home on a scary outfield assist from Moreno.
In the fourth, the Mallards knotted it at four. The Madison RBI fielder’s choice was the only run Gray would give up in a strong outing.
With a quick Madison player on in the top of the fifth, Kibler got an assist of his own, positively rifling a throw to catch the runner stealing. Then, Gray pumped his fist as he punched out .281 average-having Frankie Carney.
“What he did was awesome. He’s a dawg,” Hindle preached.
In the Chinooks half of the fifth after two Chinooks drew walks, Trujillo ripped an RBI single to center, restoring the Chinooks lead. But with two on, Mallards shortstop Shai Robinson made a heads-up play. When Roessler hit a ground ball that looked like it would slip into left and give Lakeshore a chance to score, Robinson contorted his body for the throw and nabbed the baserunner at third to end the inning.
Gray presented a few different put-away pitches in his powerful appearance as he piled up five punch outs. He finished with 4.0 IP and just a 1.00 WHIP in his effective outing, putting him in line for the win.
Leading off the sixth, Chinooks left fielder AJ Garcia earned a free pass. Cameron was plunked in the next at-bat, giving the ‘Nooks two on with no outs. That changed quickly, as an unbelievable bullet throw by Mallards catcher Connor Capece got Garcia stealing third on a double steal attempt. The play changed the course of the inning and gave Madison another chance as it got out unscathed and maintained the 5-4 Chinooks lead.
Madison continued to stymie Lakeshore with great defense in the seventh. Kibler walked, and then Schwalbach stung a single to right, but Moreno was ready for it. He whizzed an absolute dart to putout the speedy catcher at third, exhibiting a very strong arm. Then, with two outs and Chinooks on the corners, Roessler sharply drove a ball to left center, but the Mallards were playing far off the outfield foul lines and ran it down.
In came the bottom of the eighth. Garcia walked again, and after pinch-hitter Connor Hennings was hit by pitch, Hindle demolished a round tripper. The Chinooks nearly added on, but right fielder Billy Scaldeferri’s blast fell three feet short of the warning track in deep left field. Yet, it proved irrelevant. 8-5, the Chinooks would go on to win.
“It was huge. It gave us a four-run lead instead of just one run and gave us more room [to win],” Gray said of the big fly.
After a hard-fought 8-5 victory on a hot Sunday afternoon, first pitch of game two against the Mallards is set for 6:35 p.m. (CST) at Moonlight Graham Field.
Article written by David Jacobs. Image by Krisjanis Kaugars.
