Mequon, WI – It was one last hoorah at Moonlight Graham Field in 2024 for the Lakeshore Chinooks. The Chinooks (11-21) will not return home with three more games to finish the season. In a season with ups and downs, things took a while for things to get rolling in Mequon, but some of the staple wins came against the Mallards to begin and end June. The fans looked for a final sendoff from the offense in 2024 against a first-place Madison ball club.

Fans packed the stadium once more in 2024 before it is reverted to Falcon territory for Concordia University Wisconsin men’s baseball. A day where interns, staff members, players and fans were all honored and thanked for their commitment to the team this season, Lakeshore looked to top it off with a battle against Madison.

The Mallards started out with a pair of walks and an RBI single from Dickerson that earned Madison a 1-0 lead with the game’s first run in the top of the first frame.

However, Lakeshore responded by grabbing two of their own.

It started with Chinooks’ Offensive Player of the Year Griffin Cameron reaching on a single and advancing on a Dominic Kibler ground out. With one out, the Ethan’s (Hindle and Brown) both reached on a walk and single. Nash Rippen, in his tenth game, accumulated two more RBIs nearly averaging one per game. A pair of runs put the ‘Nooks in front 2-1 before a Scaldeferri infield hit ended in the aggressive offense running themselves out of the inning by being thrown out at both home and second base.

Command issues came up in the second and would be the theme for the pitching tonight. Left Ross Huffman, one of five players who stayed with the team all season earning him the title of ‘Iron Man’. He walked three including bringing in a run after a battle with Robinson that ended in a pitch outside the zone. A sacrifice fly drove in the third run of the game and put Madison back in front, 3-2.

With the bases loaded in the third, Ethan Brown picked up another RBI to notch the game back up. The offensive tug-o-war match would continue.

After a scoreless fourth, Madison reclaimed the lead. They would finally get to Huffman in a big way jumping out to their largest lead, 5-3 and retiring the lefty from the game. He would be replaced by fellow ‘Iron Man’ Tayton Herron, striking out Charlie Marion to end the inning.

Herron went back out in the sixth, but Madison took advantage of the pitches they saw. Facing six, he would only record one out before being pulled. In a season where Madison designated hitters have taken advantage of Lakeshore pitchers, Korbyn Dickerson would continue the trend. With the bases loaded, he singled to left driving in two more. Another run would score before pitching coach Mitch Rogers met him on the mound.

Tyler Danko replaced Herron and he too struggled to get out of the inning, needing just one out after striking out Fisher to begin his outing, he would face three more who added three runs to the growing total. An inning that started 5-3 ended 12-3.

Redemption for Danko would come in his last two innings of work, the seventh and eighth.

As for his overall mindset?

“Trust my stuff and shove it by ’em.”

Danko reflected on the first inning of work in the sixth, saying he got too amped up to throw and led himself into some mistakes, like a balk that walked in a run. However, once he was settled in he regained that confidence and worked two scoreless frames.

Wisdom closed out the game for the ‘Nooks getting his first look on the mound

Eleven walks for Lakeshore through six innings proved to be a tall task to overcome, and one they wouldn’t, eventually dropping the final home game 12-3. Just a night removed from being walked twelve times, they got a taste of their own medicine. Madison was dominant on both sides, taking advantage of their opportunities and limiting them for the Chinooks who started to force chances once falling to the nearly double-digit deficit.

Regardless of the outcome, the fans hung around and showed their support for the team that calls Moonlight Graham Field in Mequon home. A strong community of support that never died, despite the season’s struggles. For the players, they come here to get extra repetitions of course, but it’s about the fans especially those who are young.

For bullpen arms like Arthur Libeau and Danko, they grew up coming to formerly known Kapco Park and now it’s their home turf. A situation that many young fans dream of and the players hope to be a vision and role model for them to go achieve those dreams. The two throwers spoke similarly as to what being a Chinook means to them, in fact Arthur’s journey from fan to player came full circle today when he was awarded “Mr. Chinook.”

To grow up watching the game and chasing foul balls to then be the one on the field and signing the autographs it’s not something any of these guys will forget. As for baseball at Moonlight Graham Field, it will be back for the Chinooks in 2025 with new talents, some connected closely to the area.

Three games to go in the grueling season, a trip to Madison for the back half of the home-and-home finalized with one last series in Fondy. All games start at 6:35 pm CST.

Article written by Sam Marchant. Image by Chloe Bowers.