Eli Benes

MEQUON, Wi.- Winners of their last 12 home games, the Michigan Shipwreckers (Lakeshore Chinooks) took on the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters on Sunday, July 19 at Moonlight Field Graham. Entering Sunday with a three-game win streak, Lakeshore snapped both of their win streaks with a 5-1 loss.

Their one run is the fewest scored in game since June 20 against Madison when they lost 9-1. The lone run came right away for the Shipwreckers, as leadoff batter Nick Allred sent the fourth pitch he saw over the left field wall for his second home run of the season.

After the first inning home run from Allred, the Shipwreckers went 3/26 at the plate and were retired in order in four of the last eight innings. Leaving four runners on base, the Shipwreckers put two runners in scoring position after the second inning.

“I don’t think we played to our abilities… Goes to show you that you have to lock in for all 27 outs,” Assistant Coach Brian Gregory said.

Despite the loss, a bright spot for the Shipwreckers in Sunday’s contest was their pitching. Lakeshore received good length from their starting pitcher Eli Niemiec, who went 6.1 innings and allowed five runs (four earned).

“I think the lack of offense and quick innings made him work probably a little harder then he wanted to. [But] he kept us in the ballgame, so that’s all you could ask for,” Gregory said.

Getting one out and allowing two batters to reach safely in the seventh, Niemiec was pulled for Mateo Fuentes. On Fuentes’s second pitch of the game, the Rafters broke open the game with a two-run double from Harrison Engskov.

Failing to get out of the inning, Ben Groeschl came in and got a first-pitch out to end the inning. With the Shipwreckers trailing by four late in the game, Groeschl got the eighth and ninth innings and delivered two scoreless innings with three strikeouts.

With 2.1 scoreless innings of work, Groeschl lowered his season ERA to 0.95 in 28.1 innings.