Eli Benes

MEQUON, Wi.- As the first half of the 2026 Northwoods League season comes to an end, the Chinooks are building momentum for a potential second-half playoff push.

9-10 halfway through the month of June, the Chinooks capped off the month by extending their winning streak to four with a 8-5 win over the Kalamazoo Growlers on Sunday, June 28 at Moonlight Graham Field. During their win streak, the Chinooks have outscored opponents 34-15.

“The hitting is getting hot [and] the pitching’s just going to get better as the season goes on. The energy is contagious,” Chinook pitcher Carter Kutz said after Sunday’s win.

Making the start on Sunday, Kutz delivered potentially his best pitching performance of the season. Struggling with command in his previous six appearances with eight walks, Kutz fell behind in the count in only three at bats on Sunday, while issuing zero walks.

“I’ve had a couple inconsistent outings and that felt really good to get back into the zone, fluid again,” Kutz said.

While Kalamazoo’s roster has changed since the two teams last played on May 27-28, Kutz is familiar with the Growlers offense. Matter of fact, In his first start and appearance of the year against them on May 28, Kutz delivered three shutout innings.

Kutz said he felt more confident heading into Sunday knowing he had his previous best appearance against the Growlers.

“I knew what was going to work and what wasn’t [and] had a feel for a few of their hitters… It definitely made me more confident in my stuff,” Kutz said.

On the other side of the team, the Chinooks offense went off for a season-high 15 hits. All but one Chinook in the lineup collected a hit, as right fielder Nick Allred and DH Sam Meidenbauer had three hits a piece.

With their performances, the pair are the fourth and fifth Chinooks to have at least three hits in a game during the win streak. Averaging 4.6 runs in 21 games in June leading up to the first win of the streak on June 25, the Chinooks are averaging 8.5 runs per game since then.

Field Manager Mikel Moreno said the team were too inconsistent for how talented they are.

“You see how they have ability, it’s just a matter of refining it and getting into a groove in the summer,” Moreno said. “The more they play the better they’ll get.”

One of the key contributors to the Chinooks recent success is David Hogg II. Tied with Bryan Lorenz for the most hits on the team, Hogg is slashing .349/.475/.444 for a .919 OPS is 18 games.

Hogg has contributed in all facets of the game, swiping 10 bases while walking the same amount as he’s struck out. Since joining the club on June 6, the Chinooks are 13-9.

Outside of his impressive counting stats, Moreno said at shortstop Hogg II runs the bunt defense and knows the pitch clock well where he is able to tell pitchers to step off the mound if the timer is running down.

“My favorite thing about him is his baseball IQ. He knows what to do on the field,” Moreno said. “Each pitch he’s into the game [and] aware of what’s going on which is refreshing.”

Riding on their momentum and strong offense, the Chinooks round out the first half of the season with the final game of their two-game set against the Growlers on Monday, June 29 at 6:05 pm CDT.