MEQUON, Wis. — “I’ve never heard a stadium so loud before.”
That’s shortstop Tristan Ellis speaking about the roaring Chinooks crowd Friday night. Lakeshore fell behind 10-2 in the nightcap of its second doubleheader in two days. But, just when things looked their bleakest, the Chinooks (8-13) ripped off eight runs in the top of the sixth to tie and eventually beat the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (13-10) 12-10 in their largest comeback win of the year.
The rainout game, rescheduled from Saturday, July 13 in Wisconsin Rapids, saw the physical host Lakeshore play as the away team. In the top of the sixth inning, the Chinooks went from down eight runs to tied up as 12 batters came to plate in the inning and several players had their signature moments with the team. Then, in the top of the seventh, right fielder Caleb Karll tripled and Ellis gave the ‘Nooks their game-winning 11th run with a single back up the middle.
Ellis had a runner on third with less than two outs and masterfully executed his goal of putting the ball in play. He squared one up on the ground and it passed through the infield to center field, scoring Karll and giving Noah Musolf the cushion he needed to slam it home. After the game, Ellis said the following: “Hitting it up the middle was kind of a cheat code ’cause no one is there except the pitcher.”
No one was there for Lakeshore as a whole for the majority of Friday night’s affair. Only a sacrifice fly by designated hitter Brady Counsell in the first, a two-out opposite-field double by center fielder Griffin Cameron, and an RBI single by third baseman Ty Wisdom in the fifth were highlights in an otherwise forgettable first five frames.
What came next will be etched into the memories of players and fans as one of the most unforgettable sequences of the 2024 Northwoods League season. The eight-run comeback went as follows:
- catcher Mason Schwalbach full count walk
- first baseman Jack Halloran RBI double to left (10-3)
- second baseman Billy Scaldeferri groundout to advance Halloran
- right fielder AJ Garcia reaches on error (10-4)
- Garcia steals second, then Garcia steals third, then Karll walks (all one plate appearance)
- Ellis RBI fielder’s choice (10-5)
- Cameron single to center
- Wisdom full count walk
- Counsell 2-RBI single to left (10-7)
- Schwalbach walk
- Wild pitch scores Wisdom (10-8), Halloran 2-RBI double to tie it at 10
Overall, it was one of the strongest innings of the year for a team that recently went through a seven-game losing streak.
“It came out of nowhere for (all of us),” hitting coach Levi Jensen said. “(Coach Mitch Rogers) has kept saying ‘our big inning is coming’ for days, and finally it showed up. We took what they gave us and then we got some of our own.”
Several players on the Chinooks team — Ellis in particular — noted how the ‘hooting and hollering’ fanbase, as Rogers would say, had a very meaningful impact on the game and willed the players to fight for a victory under the Friday night lights.
“You could tell everyone was dog tired after playing four games,” Ellis said. “But the excitement (of the crowd) was amazing.”
The loud crowd kept the decibel count high in the top of the seventh when the Chinooks had a chance to tie before the seven-inning contest entered extras. Karll roped a low line drive into right field and it short-hopped the Rafters’ outfielder as Karll sprinted to third for a one-out triple. Ellis then completed the Lakeshore comeback with a perfect ground ball to give Lakeshore its first lead since the first inning. For good measure, the shortstop captained a double steal with Cameron trailing to give Counsell another RBI opportunity, which he made good on with his second sac fly of the game.
Noah Musolf (Madison College) had worked a quick sixth and was sent out in the seventh to complete his win. He did so comfortably, never bringing the tying run to the plate as the Chinooks completed a magical seven-inning comeback to sweep Friday’s two-game slate against the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters.
“A doubleheader to start (our return from) the All-Star break, another doubleheader today, and in game two today we come back from down eight, the circumstances of that are awesome,” Jensen said.
The win, followed by a fireworks gender reveal (it was a girl!) and full firework extravaganza, capped one of the most special days of the 2024 Lakeshore Chinooks season. Two wins, about as opposite in form as they could possibly come.
Lakeshore will hope to bring raucous energy again Saturday night and Sunday afternoon as it hosts the Kokomo Jackrabbits for two home games. First pitch Saturday is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. (CST) at Moonlight Graham Field in Mequon.
Article written by David Jacobs. Image by Connor Ziman.
