MEQUON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (12-8) blooped their way to a 4-1 victory in game one of Thursday’s doubleheader at Moonlight Graham Field. The loss sent the Lakeshore Chinooks (6-12) to a sixth straight loss, and after the Chinooks saw 13 runners reach base safely, the theme was missed opportunities.

Both teams had early action on the base paths. In the first, starter Ryan Karst opened with a weak groundout to short but then Rafters center fielder Aidan Teel pulled a one-out double to right. Teel, owner of a .437 AVG and 1.204 OPS through 87 AB entering play, scored later in the inning on a bloop single to right. Chinooks catcher Vidal Colon ended the threat by throwing out an attempted stealer of second.

Opening the Lakeshore first, center fielder Griffin Cameron ripped a ground-rule double to left. The ‘Nooks couldn’t score him after second baseman Ty Wisdom moved him a station up with a fly ball out.

Karst walked in a run to give Wisconsin Rapids a 2-0 lead, sandwiching two threateningly shallow fly balls.

Designated hitter Brady Counsell matched Cameron from the inning before him with a leadoff double to open the Chinooks’ second. Then, Counsell caught the catcher not paying attention and stole third.

“I got a great pitch to hit with two strikes, inner-half, and I put a good swing on it,” the Kansas slugger said.

Left fielder Joey Nerat worked a full count walk and stole second, giving Lakeshore two in scoring position. Yet, the Chinooks went down in order as Rafters pitcher Tristin Crusenberry — famously deaf — prevented any damage to the scoreboard.

Wisconsin Rapids scored two more in the fourth using singles to either side of the outfield. Colon, doing his best William Contreras impression from the dish, made sure the game stayed within reach as he nabbed the Rafter runner at second. The Rafters blooped another single to right in the inning, but Karst limited the hurt for Lakeshore.

Finally in the fourth, the Chinooks strung hits together.

Counsell stung a single to center, and later in the frame, first baseman Jack Halloran hacked a standup RBI double to left. Then with two outs, Cameron clipped a single to left, but Halloran couldn’t beat the throw home in the bang-bang play.

“The idea is to make the other team make plays, and they came up with a couple good throws today from the outfield,” Counsell said.

Meanwhile, Karst did successfully complete five innings, a meaningful mark to give his bullpen a break before the Chinooks play three more games in the next 30 hours.

In the bottom of the sixth, just six outs away from the end of the seven-inning game, Counsell again sparked a double to left. This time, though, he got caught stealing third after succeeding in his first attempt. Colon beat out an infield single with two outs, giving the Chinooks their best remaining opportunity to tie it up. But after Tristan Ellis hit a single hard to right, pinch-running Northwoods League All-Star Dominic Kibler was gunned down at home.

Game one didn’t go Lakeshore’s way against Wisconsin Rapids, but there are plenty of opportunities to get the loss back in the next few days with another game tonight, a 6:35 p.m. first pitch, and a doubleheader against the Rafters tomorrow.

Article written by David Jacobs.