Green Bay, WI – After defeating the Rockers at home on Tuesday night, Lakeshore traveled up to Green Bay for the second game against the two teams. Pristine weather in northern Wisconsin cleared the way for a high octane game that saw 23 total hits and 13 runs between both teams. The game also featured three home runs by Chinooks hitters, but the team snapped their three game win streak on the road.
Scott Rouse, a product of Ohio Dominican University, started off the mound for Lakeshore and got to work early, giving up no hits or runs in his first two innings pitched.
The Chinooks would get things rocking early with a big third inning. Caden Kaiser led off the top of the 3rd with a solo shot to right field to put Lakeshore up 1-0. Matthias Haas would hit a double to deep left-center to put a man on second with no outs. Matt Deprey followed up with his own two run blast to right to put two more runs on the board, making the score 3-0.
Green Bay came back in the bottom of the 3rd, helping chip away at their early deficit. Griffin Stevens hit an RBI single with two men on, putting the first run on the board for Green Bay. Collier Cranford hit an RBI double to get the Rockers within one run, finishing the third inning one run behind Lakeshore, 3-2.
Things got quiet for the next few innings, as Rouse ending his evening on the mound with a scoreless 4th inning. Luke Schafer came in for relief, but Rouse finished the night going four innings, giving up two earned runs and striking out four hitters. The Chinooks had another big inning though, scoring three runs in the top of the 5th. Matthias Haas hit a lead off single to start things off. Matt Deprey followed up with a double, his second hit on the night. With men on second and third, Garrett Martin hit a 3-run HR to deep center to extend the Chinooks lead over the Rockers.
Garrett Martin has extended his hitting streak to nine games with the Chinooks as he now has 5 HRs and 13 RBI in his first few weeks with the team.
“I feel like I’m seeing things well. I’m trusting what I’ve been doing with my swings before games and trusting our coaching and letting things happen from there” Martin said.
However, Green Bay would not go down without a fight. On par with the theme of the evening, Green Bay came right back in the bottom of the 5th and scored two more runs against Lakeshore. A walk and single put two men on for the Rockers before an errant throw by Lakeshore to first base on a bunt scored a run. A fielders choice RBI by Tristian Garcia added one more for Green Bay, with Lakeshore still leading 6-4 at the end of the 5th.
After Green Bay scored another run in the 6th inning, things got quiet until the 9th rolled around. The Chinooks were leading by one run in the bottom of the 9th with a chance to win the game. Down to their last out, Green Bay’s Keniel De Leon stepped up big with a two-run walk off HR to win the game for the Rockers.
“Tomorrow is a good test for us. When you get walked-off, good teams respond to that. I know we will, I’m excited to see us go out and compete tomorrow and they’re going to go out and play hard for the fans at home” Coach Travis Akre said after the game.
A loss tonight by the Fond Du Lac Doc Spiders keeps the race for second place alive in the division. The Chinooks will look to bounce back as they travel back home to face the division-leading Wisconsin Rapids Rafters at Moonlight Graham Field tomorrow. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35pm.
