MEQUON, Wis. — Milwaukee Brewers broadcaster and former pitcher Tim Dillard was one of about one thousand fans in attendance for Thursday night’s Christmas in July special.
Kids and families of all ages showed up to the summer spectacle looking for some fun, and while they didn’t quite see that from the Chinooks (6-13), who lost 6-0 in game two of the doubleheader to the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (13-8), fans still experienced a unique warm-weather experience.
Lakeshore pitcher Ross Huffman started the fun with two hitless innings. As on-field host Sarah Nasif gifted little ones the opportunity to play mini games between innings, the Chinooks battled like warriors in the second game in four hours.
That fighting nearly earned Lakeshore the lead in the second inning. First baseman Mason Schwalbach drew a walk, and a batter later, shortstop Billy Scaldeferri lined a single to center. Former Madison Mallard Caleb Karll grounded out to first with two outs to prevent the Chinooks from taking the lead.
The Rafters graciously thanked them in the third. They brought a bunt single to the Christmas table and hid a mean surprise under the Chinooks’ tree with a steal, and then third baseman Mason Onate put coal in the hosts’ stocking with an RBI single to right.
In the fourth, Huffman walked a batter and then first baseman Landon Gaz acted as the grinch. The righty gashed a mistake halfway to Wisconsin Rapids as it cleared the left field wall and extended the Rafters’ lead to 3-0. Then, the Rafters drew a walk and catcher Dominic Kibler slipped on ice while attempting to throw a runner out at second. After the fourth finished, the edge was 4-0 for the visitors.
Brady Counsell rode his sleigh to second base after hitting a one-out double. However, he wouldn’t be scored as Rafters’ starter Kenji Pallares tossed an efficient outing.
By the end of the fifth, the Chinooks appeared to have drunk too much virgin eggnog as they fell asleep on offense and dipped to a five-run deficit.
Perhaps Pallares was the biggest grinch of Lakeshore’s July 25th affair. The CSUN hurler was on a heater his whole outing, only allowing three runners to reach safely as he left in position for the win.
In the sixth, the Rafters pulled an opposite-field approach out of Santa Gill’s bag of tricks. Onate doubled to left and then came around to score on a hard-hit single. The second runner nearly scored as he rounded third in the following at-bat, but Scaldeferri rifled an excellent throw over to first to get the batter in time.
The Chinooks offense faltered in the contest, as it only produced two hits in game two en route to losing both Thursday games in the first of two straight doubleheaders.
Yet, as the playoffs start to drift out of focus for Lakeshore, it’s the fun and the player and fan experiences that matter more. Moonlight Graham Field is a place where fans of all kinds are welcome, and especially on nights like July 25th, baseball is a fun thing to watch.
“All these young men have played this sport a lot in their lives,” Dillard said, “(But Christmas in July) was pretty cool.”
Good vibes and good performances will likely be Lakeshore’s growing priority as the final weeks of the 2024 season shape up, but before Lakeshore can worry about its future, the Chinooks have a doubleheader tomorrow against this same Rafters team at Moonlight Graham Field.
First pitch in game one is scheduled for 4:05 p.m., and first pitch in game two is scheduled for 6:35, or 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one.
Article written by David Jacobs. Image by Connor Ziman.
